BREEF Confirms Hillcrest Academy With Its First Green Flag Award

On Friday 21 June 2024, the Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF) Eco-Schools Bahamas (ESB) National Operator, Kevin Glinton, Crystal Darling-Sargent, Communications Officer, BREEF,  and Sally Johnson, Education Officer, and ESB Green Flag assessment member,  visited Hillcrest Academy to conduct its first ESB Green Flag assessment.

Hillcrest Academy was certified as a Green Flag school after comprehensive and enthusiastic presentations by students, school administrators, and parent and Eco-Schools Coordinator, Mrs. Indira Godet. The Eco-Schools Green Flag award is recognized globally as a symbol of excellence in environmental education. 

Hillcrest 6^th Grade student, Caitlyn Mathurin said, “We have committed to being good environmental stewards by monitoring activities like turning off fans and lights, litter monitoring garden upkeep and recycling”.

Hillcrest’s Grade 3rd student Ayden Laing said, “One of our greatest achievements was diverting 60 thousand cans and bottles from the landfill to the Cans-4-Kids recycling facility.”

Accepting the award on behalf of her school and community, Mrs. Judith Dawkins, Hillcrest’s principal stated, “We are thrilled that our students have made this incredible achievement and they have many more sustainable plans for the future.”

According to ESB National Operator Kevin Glinton, “Hillcrest Academy enthusiastically embraced the 7 Steps of the Eco-Schools programme and continued to set new standards of environmental stewardship in our primary school network.  Kudos to Mrs. Indira Godet, Hillcrest parent and Eco-Schools Implementation Coordinator for her unwavering commitment to Eco-Schools.”

BREEF’s Eco-Schools network is spread over six islands and consists of 21 government and 27 private schools. Since 2009 the BREEF has been running the Eco-Schools Bahamas programme free of charge through the generous support of many BREEF donors including The Primat Foundation.. To learn more about BREEF’S Eco-Schools Bahamas programme and its work in promoting the conservation of the Bahamian marine environment, please visit:

Eco-Schools Bahamas – BREEF or email ecoschoolsbahamas@breef.org.