FL Media Advisory

MEDIA RELEASE
FOR SEPTEMBER 17, 2003

LOCAL CONTACT:          Denise Karpinia
                                            561-743-5840 (home)
                                            561-262-7917 (cell)
                                              wkarpinia@aol.com

Local School Receives National Environmental Award

WHAT:     Independence Middle School (IMS) is receiving a national award for its outstanding environmental work. The school is one of more than a dozen schools that are receiving awards as part of the national launch of the Green Flag Program. The student-driven Green Flag Program will award IMS for completing the first level of the program, and will hold an award ceremony featuring students, teachers, local leaders.

WHO:     Dr. Paula Nessmith: Principal IMS
                Mrs. Susan Jones: Science Teacher, IMS Environmental Club
   Denise and Walter Karpinia: Founders of the HealthyLiving Foundation
                Students
                Teachers

Independence Middle School Media Events:

Independence Middle School, 4001 Greenway Drive, Jupiter will receive a national award for its environmental work through the Green Flag Program on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 9 a.m.

The school is one of more than a dozen nationwide receiving the award for completing the first level of the Green Flag Program.

The program, based in Falls Church, Va., recognizes schools that have successful environmental education programs and environmental policies, and encourages other schools to follow their example through participation in the program.

Accepting the award on behalf of the school will be Dr. Paula Nessmith, principal; Susan Jones, science teacher; and Walter and Denise Karpinia, mentors of the Healthy Living Foundation of Jupiter.

Members of the Jupiter High School Student Government Association will attend a Florida Association of Student Council District V meeting on Thursday, Sept. 12 at Boynton Beach High School.

SGA members are also preparing for an open house, set for Tuesday. A bake is planned. Anyone interested in helping should call Jeanmarie McCann, SGA adviser, at 744-7900, Ext. 71177.

In addition, members will visit Courtyard Gardens assisted living facility Tuesday. Students wishing to go along should meet in room 4-217 after school has ended.

Plans are under way for the Treasures in Heaven Benefit Auction set for Nov. 15 to benefit Jupiter Christian School.

Proceeds from the auction will go toward the Let's Keep Going campaign for campus improvements, which includes funding for canopies over various parts of the campus, a new school bus and support for the school's Creative and Performing Arts Department.

For more information on donations, call the auction office, Jennifer Bryan at 744-7348, or Diane Cunningham, at 748-9860.

If you have school news items for Chalk Talk, please e-mail jeff.alexander@scripps.com, fax to 745-2403 or mail to Chalk Talk, c/o the Jupiter Courier, 800 W. Indiantown Road, Jupiter, FL 33458.

|Green Flag Program

Copyright 2003 by TheWPBFchannel.com. All rights reserved.

Students at Independence Middle School are celebrating the start of a new extra-curricular science program, the first of it's kind in Florida. It's called the Green Flag Program. Kids meet every other week before class to investigate the "indoor" world.

With Green Flag, kids become mini-detectives, investigating things like moldy floortiles and
things that go rotten the fridge.

During the school year, they will go over their school with a fine-tooth comb, looking or any
environmental hazards.

(Steven Jones, Student): "Some of the mold growing and the air vents around
the ceiling and on the ceiling pads."

(Stephanie Morales, Student): "We're looking for any problems in our school, that we
can try to change or take away so that it will cause less pollution and try to clean up our
school and recycle more."

(Walter Karpinia, Healthy Living Foundation): "Kids are not going to pay attention
to things unless they are having fun, the more fun we can make it the better."
After kids investigate they look for better ways to keep their school environment
safe and healthy. Then share it with other students.

(Denise Robinette-Karpinia, Healthy Living Foundation): "As a club and as a group,
we will figure out, do we want to do a video or some kind of public awareness campaign
that will educate our other students and parents in the school itself? We will start small
and then expand out, and we give alternatives and give safer solutions to problems that
might be out there."

Young detectives putting their school under the microscope.

WPBF Eyewitness News 25 salutes The Green Flag Program at Independence Middle
School for Taking The Lead. If you know of someone deserving a salute, tell us
about them. You can call our Talk To 25 Hotline at 550-9925, or click here and send us an email.

Independence Middle gets environment award

The Palm Beach Post Wednesday, September 24th

By Joe Bonikowski, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 24, 2003

JUPITER -- In The Green Flag Program, clean living starts at school.

Between Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, the national program that promotes environmental awareness and cleanliness in schools honored 14 institutions in nine states with an Environmental Leadership Award. Just one school in Florida received the award -- 2-year-old Independence Middle School.

Independence students, under the direction of science teacher Susan Jones and moderators from the Healthy Living Foundation, formed the school's Environmental Club and have taken on the challenge to improve the school campus.

"Their job is going to be to investigate the surroundings of the school," Jones said. "If they find any problems, they're going to find a solution for them.

"We are there to supervise and guide."

"There are different levels and different ways we as a club can educate the students," said Denise Robinette-Karpinia of The Healthy Living Foundation, which is mentoring the students. Robinette-Karpinia has two children who are club members. "We're presenting a green flag to the school for completing the first level. As they complete different issue areas, they'll get the different awards."

The students will work on four areas: indoor air quality; integrated pest management; non-toxic products; and reduce, reuse and recycle. The school's award, Robinette-Karpinia said, is for "committing to joining the program, and completing the initial environmental survey.

"We're trying to educate them about the school environment and how to keep it healthy, and we're really excited about being the first school in the state."

The goal for this school year, Jones said, to "complete indoor air quality efforts. We'll need to carry out a solution. Also, we'll probably work on reduce, reuse and recycle."

For information about the Healthy Living Foundation, call Robinette-Karpinia at 743-5840 or visit the Web site at:

www.healthylivingfoundation.org.

To find out more about The Green Flag Program for Environmental Leadership visit www.greenflagschools.org.

Information about Independence Middle School is available at www.independencemiddle.com or by calling 799-7500.

joe_bonikowski@pbpost.com