Congratulations Award Winners!
Submissions from schools within the Atlantic City Electric service area were considered for the Atlantic City Electric Student Climate Challenge awards and all other submissions were considered for the New Jersey Student Climate Challenge awards. The student team winners and their teacher mentors were recognized at recent award ceremonies hosted by the Drumthwacket Foundation with New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy.
Atlantic City Electric Student Climate Challenge
Middle School Category
1st Place - $3,500 School Grant Award
PGMS G&T Team, Penns Grove Middle School, Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District
Team Members: Zoey Elias, Cole Faison, Victor Feliciano, Juan Martinez, Timothy Proud, Violet Schryver, Abigail Speaker, Christella Tan
Advisors: Benjamin Griffith
Project Summary: To reduce air pollution and mitigate flooding, this group developed a plan to plant native trees on school and municipal properties. They presented their plan to the Penns Grove Borough Council and the Superintendent of Schools and are waiting on approvals to move forward.
2nd Place - $1,000 School Grant Award
Davies Climate Resilience Group, William Davies Middle School, Hamilton Township School District
Team Members: Sylvia Faisst, Ava Green, Star Kiddoo, Angie Li, Paige McQueen, Carlisle Pahang, Aaliyah Patram, Abdah Saleem, Skull Scott, Zarai Taveras-Sanchez
Advisor: Meghan Hooper-Jackson
Project Summary: This team focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by launching an educational campaign to promote school recycling efforts and coordinating a clothing drive to highlight the environmental and social benefits of repurposing gently used clothing rather than having it end up in landfills.
High School Category
1st Place - $3,500 School Grant Award
Green Thumbs, Atlantic City High School, Atlantic City School District
Team Members: Zeeshan Bakhtiar, Maxwell Duerr, Hannah Frebowitz, Sophia Mammucari, Saif Naser, Nadeefa Nur, Aaron Simpson
Advisor: Emily Loeb
Project Summary: The Green Thumbs club at Atlantic City High School transformed a neglected greenhouse into a space for growing local produce. This initiative highlighted opportunities to grow food locally out-of-season and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with miles food travels before it reaches the consumer.
2nd Place - $1,000 Grant Award
Clothing Reuse Team, Penns Grove High School, Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District
Team Members: Zeren Akkaya, Johanna Alverado, Estefany Baeza, Nicole DeLaO, Alexandria Hampton, Jayla Nunez, Saky'ra Robinson, Dilek Sahin, Carla Vichi, Serentity Woodards
Advisor: Shannon Tyson
Project Summary: This group addressed the environmental impact of fast fashion and clothing waste by organizing a schoolwide clothing drive. Their great efforts led to a generous donation of collected clothes to people in need, benefiting both the environment and the community.
3rd Place - $500 Grant Award
Garden Team, Penns Grove High School, Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District
Team Names: Kayla Aikens, Todd'jzaih Ford, Jaretzi Jimenez, Samielys Lopez, Lilla Morales, Phillip Ngo, Brianna Robbins, Clariza Roble, Daivonnah Thomas, Shane Young
Advisor: Joshua Tennant
Project Summary: The Garden Team created a school garden to grow vegetables and flowering plants to attract pollinators. They hope their project will inspire others to grow food locally to reduce food insecurity and their carbon footprint.
View Video
3rd Place - $500 Grant Award
Clearview Environmental Club, Clearview Regional High School, Clearview Regional High School District
Team Names: Peter Combs, Sarah Devoe, Caroline Kilmer, Fiona Lynch, Nora Lynch, Jordan McCargo
Advisor: Maureen Huhman
Project Summary: The Clearview team transformed their school's empty Shakespeare Garden space into a thriving native plant garden to absorb stormwater runoff and also built a book recycling station in honor of the garden's namesake.
New Jersey Student Climate Challenge
Middle School Category
1st Place - $3,500 School Grant Award
Wild Over Worms, Green Brook Middle School, Green Brook Township Public Schools
Team Members: Ira Beutner, Yohan Brito, Valentina Condina, Evan Connolly, George Deng, Yanari Galindo, Raima Jain, Torey Kasar, Steven Maxfield, Paris McCall, Matthew Mendo, Angelo Orneta, Dylan Ortiz
Advisors: Christina Berquist
Project Summary: The Wild Over Worms team combats climate through its organic garden and worm composting initiative. The worms quickly turn food waste into nutrient-rich soil for the garden which produces healthy locally grown food. Their efforts are a great example of how we can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with food production and disposal, build community, and have fun in the process.
2nd Place - $1,000 School Grant Award 
The Alliance, JP Case Middle School, Flemington-Raritan Regional School District
Team Members: Arth Chopra, Andrea Eng, Ayaan Jain, Chinmay Kashyap, Kavya Parikh, Karthik Tarigonda
Advisor: Ann Ruppel
Project Summary: The Alliance team developed a website and curriculum to educate students on food sustainability, organic farming, and reducing food waste. They also led a composting program with third-grade students and the local environmental committee, sparking the creation of a composting program at the elementary school.
View Video
3rd Place - $500 School Grant Award 
Climate Action and Sustainability Team, Rosa International Middle School, Cherry Hill Public Schools
Team Members: Tamara Abboud, Romeo Anselm, Makayla Becker, Nicolas Bowers, Aaleya Ganguly, Jenna Huang, Anisha Katakamsetty, Panayiota Konidaris, Julia Kumolova, Tekla Managadze, Vasisth Medavarapu, Molly Nhu, Samaira Nyla, Max Ownens, Ada Rein, Chloe Wang, Kelvin Williams, Catherine Yao
Advisor: Albert Morales and Skye Silverstein
Project Summary: These students educated school and community members on sustainable practices through seasonal newsletters; distributing pollinator gardens “in a box” to encourage residents to plant their own gardens; and hosting a Climate Showcase that included information on composting and other strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
High School Category
1st Place - $3,500 School Grant Award 
Highland Park Green Team, Highland Park High School, Highland Park School District
Team Members: Isaac Backenroth, Callum Crowley, Sophie Huttner, Kate Schwartz, Lily Solomon
Advisor: James Mokracek
Project Summary: The Highland Park Green team focused on reducing food waste to combat climate change and food insecurity. They created a school composting program, collecting 40 pounds of food waste daily for the school garden, and partnered with a local farmers market to repurpose food for a refugee-run café in town.
2nd Place - $1,000 Grant Award 
Thriftwood, Marine Academy of Science and Technology, Monmouth Academy of Science and Technology
Team Members: Gabe Allen, Emily Gravina, Abby Hesterhagen, Jesse Johnson, Anna Lappas, Jeremy Londono, Abbie Reiber, Garret Renton, Summer Sesty, Reid Spears, Patrick Watson
Advisor: Mae Skrba
Project Summary: The Thriftwood team started a school thrift store to reduce textile waste. By selling donated clothing and hosting workshops on repairing and repurposing items, they focused on keeping clothing out of landfills and educating student on upcycling clothing.
3rd Place - $500 Grant Award 
Metuchen High School Environmental Club, Metuchen High School, Metuchen Borough School District
Team Names: Rowan Brown, Samuel Brown, Jack Gilliland-Duarte, Arjun Gupta, Dakshesh Katoch, Benjamin Lopez, Ragav Nellaiappan
Advisor: Yoko Kato
Project Summary: These students created an anti-idling campaign to educate the school community on the environmental impacts of vehicle idling through data collection, pamphlets, presentations, and posters. The goal was to reduce emissions, improve air quality, and promote eco-friendly behavior across the community.
Questions?
Email: njstudentclimatechallenge@sustainablejersey.com
New Jersey Student Climate Challenge Partners
The New Jersey Student Climate Challenge is administered by Sustainable Jersey and the Drumthwacket Foundation. It is made possible through the generous support of Atlantic City Electric.
