LISBON, 20 October 2026. Colégio Monte Maior, a private school in Lisbon, has received an Honourable Mention in the first edition of Da Rua para o Recreio, a national challenge run by the Eco-Schools programme, for Chess Masters, a project to build a giant chessboard from reused tarpaulins.
The challenge, promoted by the Eco-Schools programme of ABAAE, the Portuguese Blue Flag Association for Environment and Education, in partnership with Girodmedias, attracted 82 participating schools. It asked school communities to rethink how used tarpaulins could be reused and turned into new solutions for their playgrounds, with a focus on creativity, sustainability and the principles of the circular economy.
Colégio Monte Maior entered in the category for schools with 2nd and 3rd cycle pupils. Its project, Chess Masters, proposes building a chessboard measuring 5 metres by 5 metres out of reused tarpaulins, creating a new space where the school community can play and run chess activities.
According to the school, the distinction recognises how creative and relevant the proposal is, and it reflects its commitment to an education that values sustainability, creativity, student participation and the care of school spaces. Colégio Monte Maior congratulated all the students and teachers involved in the project and thanked Eco-Schools and ABAAE for recognising their work.
The award adds to the school's wider Eco-Schools work. In March, the school held a ceremony to raise its Eco-Schools Green Flag for the 2024/2025 school year, with a special performance by students on the theme of protecting forests. At Monte Maior, sustainability is woven into the curriculum, so that students take part in projects and develop the knowledge and skills they need to act responsibly.
About Colégio Monte Maior
Colégio Monte Maior follows the Portuguese national curriculum and is part of the International Schools Partnership (ISP). Pupils begin a bilingual pathway in English and Portuguese in pre-school, and add Spanish or French from the 3rd cycle. The school develops life skills through the ISP Life Competencies model, supported by the University of Cambridge's Camtree, and teaches ethics and empathy through Philosophy for Children.
Sport plays a large part in school life: more than 75% of students take part actively, with national and European achievements in swimming, judo, dance and basketball. On the academic side, the school reports a 100% completion rate, with 81% of its leavers admitted to one of their top three choices, at institutions such as FCT, NOVA SBE, IST and the Catholic University of Lisbon.
What this means for families
For families, the project shows how a school can turn environmental education into something pupils can see and use every day: a playground space designed around materials that would otherwise be thrown away. It also gives students the experience of taking an idea from the classroom to a national competition.
Families who would like to get to know the school can join its Virtual Open Day on 13 November, from 17:00 to 18:00 (Lisbon time). To compare options in the area, they can also explore the best international schools in Lisbon.
You can contact Colégio Monte Maior here.
