Freshman Sam Jackson stands alone among the sea of ninth graders who recently made the seemingly monumental transition from their final year in a middle school to their first year of high school. Unlike most students in his class who, fewer than four months ago, were  learning about the plight of the pilgrims while sitting behind desks in Redwood feeder schools, Jackson was learning about environmental sustainability all the way across the globe in Bali, Indonesia.

Following his graduation from Kent Middle School in 2014, Jackson and his parents decided that he was not ready for the progression into high school just yet.

After conducting weeks of research and considering multiple alternative educational options, the Jackson family decided that the best choice for Sam was Green School in Bali, a private K-12 school that emphasizes an environmentally friendly philosophy.

According to its website, Green School was founded in 2006 by environmental activists and spousal duo, Cynthia and John Hardy.

Located 25 minutes Southeast of Ubud, Bali, the establishment is mostly powered by solar energy and is entirely constructed out of recycled materials all the way from the bamboo buildings down to the white boards made from old wind shields. While attending Green School, Jackson and 11 of his peers resided in an open-aired, high quality bamboo hut with wi-fi.

Despite the fact that the students at Green School spend a great deal of time learning about eco-friendly and sustainable living practices, which may seem like an easy, enjoyable curriculum to some, Jackson noted that the academics were at least as competitive and rigorous than the way things are at Redwood.

“It was tough. It definitely wasn’t easy,” Jackson said. “But it was for sure worth it.”

On an average school day, Jackson would wake up in the early morning and walk the five minute path past the river that lay in between the facilities and the student boarding houses.

Besides the standard courses such as math and English, Jackson and his peers were also taught methods on how to live a positive, green lifestyle, which he plans to bring to Redwood.

Jackson left Bali and now attends Redwood with a renewed sense of care for our environment, something he wishes to spread throughout the student body. To achieve this goal, Jackson recently founded and serves as the president of the Sustainability Club.

“In my club, we’ll be focusing on raising awareness so your everyday person can actually make a difference,” Jackson said.

Jackson is prepared with a multitude of ideas and plans for how he and the members of his club will make an impactful change at Redwood.

“So many people come to school with plastic water bottles and that is just so much waste right there, just think about how many people are at our school,” Jackson said. “If every person who brought those brought a reusable bottle instead, we’d be saving tons of plastic.”

First year art teacher Douglas Dammarell, who teaches Jackson’s Art Exploration class, will be serving as the staff advisor for the Sustainability Club.

“It’s going to be a really cool thing,” said Dammarell. “[Jackson] has got a lot of energy and a lot of good ideas.”

Jackson aspires to see change at Redwood before he graduates in 2019.

“I would just like to see people actually caring, not throwing their trash on the ground. I just want to see the everyday person changing their practices to become more sustainable.”