Sustainable Jersey Awards 50 Grants for School Sustainability Projects

on Feb 02, 2017

Grants Funded by the New Jersey Education Association will help schools and school districts implement sustainability projects

Today, Sustainable Jersey for Schools announced the fifty New Jersey schools and school districts selected to receive Sustainable Jersey for Schools small grants funded by the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA). Ten $10,000 grants and forty $2,000 grants were distributed to fund a variety of projects including physical activity and wellness programs, an aeroponic greenhouse, school vegetable and rain gardens, food waste composting, mobile environmental carts, student green team capacity building, the greening of school festivals, bicycle racks, a creation station, an outdoor classroom, energy efficiency programs, enhanced recycling efforts and more.

With this contribution NJEA has provided $500,000 to support a sustainable future for children across the state through the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program. “NJEA is proud to continue to work with Sustainable Jersey on this important program that directs resources into our schools,” said NJEA Secretary-Treasurer Sean Spiller. “It is our job to help create a new generation of engaged citizens and leaders. By emphasizing the value of sustainability, we also help ensure that we leave a better world for our students.” In addition to the grant funding, NJEA supports Sustainable Jersey for Schools as a program underwriter.

“Sustainable Jersey grantees help advance our continued goal to create a more sustainable New Jersey and world,” said Donna Drewes, co-director of Sustainable Jersey. “We look forward to the innovative projects and work that these schools and school districts will accomplish and we will share the tools, models and activities with other schools across the state.”

Proposals were judged by an independent Blue Ribbon Selection Committee. The Sustainable Jersey for Schools grants are intended to help school districts and schools make progress toward a sustainable future in general, and specifically toward Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification.

Recipients of $10,000 Sustainable Jersey for Schools Project Grants

County

School District

$10k Recipient

Description

Atlantic

Estell Manor City School District

Estell Manor City School District

Let's Get Greener - The project will enhance and promote sustainability in all areas of life: school, home and community. It will focus on decreasing energy consumption, promoting farm to table, rethinking reuse and recycle, reducing waste production and increasing awareness of key sustainability issues.  

Atlantic

Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District

Cedar Creek High School

Mobile STEM Trailer – This custom-built STEM trailer will allow students and the community to practice field research in marine, environmental and engineering sciences.

Burlington

Tabernacle Township School District

Tabernacle Elementary School

Water Bottle Refilling Stations: Healthy for Our World and Our Bodies - Students will promote water as the beverage of choice and track the reduction of single-use plastic water bottles as a result of installing the refilling stations.

Camden

Black Horse Pike Regional School District

Black Horse Pike Regional School District

Promote Physical Activity – School Wellness Councils will promote physical activity among students and staff by offering opportunities for physical activity throughout the day and after school. Students and staff will receive ongoing tips to support lifestyle changes that concentrate on health awareness, fitness challenges and nutrition. 

Essex

Essex County Vocational Technical Schools

West Caldwell Technical School

Clean Water for All - Old water fountains with be replaced with new Water Hydration Stations that include filters and bottle fillers. Students, parents and faculty will be educated on water conservation using Project WET resources. 

Hudson

Bayonne School District

Bayonne High School

Encouraging Healthy Water-Drinking Habits and Sustainable Waste Reduction - The project continues the district's initiative of installing filtered water bottle filling stations in areas of high need in Bayonne High School and address concerns regarding the water quality, including lead contamination while reducing by at least 50% the amount of plastic waste generated by the 3,000 students and staff.

Hunterdon

Holland Township School District

Holland Township School District

Positive Peaceful Planters – A horticultural program for special needs students and students with stress and anxiety will be implemented.

Monmouth

Long Branch Public School District

Joseph M. Ferraina Childhood Learning Center

Aeroponic Greenhouse Initiative – A 1,000-plant aeroponic greenhouse will be installed with district matching funds. Students from across the district will work in the greenhouse as part of the curriculum. Crops will be sold at the municipal farm market and distributed to local food banks and senior centers.

Morris

Mount Arlington Public School District

Mount Arlington Public Elementary School

M^3 (Math Models Matter): Simulations for a Sustainable Future - Through an "Enrichment for All Model" and thematic focus of "Sustainability Through Local & Global Citizenship," additional STEM projects based on curriculum goals will be developed and/or expanded for 3rd - 8th grades.  The projects will have interdisciplinary connections and links to local, national and global resources and contacts, including other schools and colleges.  Websites will be created and Google classroom platforms will be used for collaborative student research and to produce videos for each of the programs.

Ocean

Lakewood Township

Lakewood Middle School

Healthy Choices Make a Healthy Future - A garden, greenhouse and compost heap and will be built to provide the resources necessary to educate students and encourage them to make better dietary choices starting with the school lunch program.

 

Recipients of $2,000 Sustainable Jersey for Schools Project Grants

County

School District

$2k Recipient

Description

Atlantic

Egg Harbor Township School District

Dr. Joy D. Miller Elementary School

Water, Water, Everywhere - As part of the districts' Healthy Lifestyle/Drink More Water initiative, two drinking fountains will be replaced with hydration stations and the number of plastic bottles saved by refilling instead of purchasing new bottles will be tracked.

Atlantic

Egg Harbor Township School District

Eagle Academy

Lights, Grow, Action - A lighting system for a hydroponic tube system will be designed, purchased and installed. Three small self-contained biospheres will also be designed and built.

Atlantic

Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District

Absegami High School

Hydroponics for Healthy Kids - The green team will develop a hydroponics system to demonstrate that crops grown using hydroponics systems require about 10% of the water that soil-based agriculture requires; no pesticides will be used; and when grown in the school greenhouse, produce will be available quickly to the students, staff and local community.

Burlington

Mount Holly Township Public Schools

John Brainerd Elementary School

WHOLE Child Program (Wellness and Health Obtained through Our Learning Environment) - To improve the classroom learning environment, the school will purchase yoga balls and wobble chairs for alternative seating and used for indoor recess, providing students with physical activities during inclement weather.

Camden

Pennsauken Public Schools

Pennsauken High School

Raised Bed Greenhouses - The high school green team will construct raised-bed greenhouses. Vegetables will be grown in these greenhouses for use in the school's culinary program.

Cape May

Cape May City School District

Cape May City Elementary School

Composting Makes Cents - Through increased composting education and improved composting systems, students and staff will compost food waste.  The school will save money by reducing waste and by using the finished compost as a free, natural soil amendment.

Cape May

Upper Township School District

Upper Township Middle School

Water Bottle Filling Stations - Two water-bottle filling stations and reusable water bottles will be purchased for the students and staff. The goal is to reduce waste from single-use plastic bottles and offer purified water.

Essex

Caldwell-West Caldwell Public Schools

James Caldwell High School

Mobile Environmental Science Carts - Three Mobile Environmental Lab Carts will be assembled and contain hands-on science materials including small-scale wind turbines, solar cells, fuel cells, electrolyzers and hydroponics equipment.

Essex

South Orange-Maplewood School District

Seth Boyden Elementary School

Student Green Team Capacity Building - Fifth-grade members of the student green team will go on a team-building field trip with the Clearwater Sailing Classroom to develop a greater understanding of the local estuary.  They will examine river life, perform water-quality tests and study plankton and other invertebrate life while bonding as a team.

Gloucester

Glassboro School District

Dorothy L. Bullock School

The Bullock Garden Sustainability Project – Supplies will be purchased for 1st through 3rd grade classes to support lessons on ecological, economic and social sustainability.

Gloucester

Glassboro School District

Glassboro Intermediate School

GIS Green Project - A school garden will be designed and implemented that can operate year-round, in conjunction with a well-developed recycling and composting program in the cafeteria. 

Gloucester

Glassboro School District

J. Harvey Rodgers School

Sensory Garden - A Sensory Garden will be started for the pre-school and kindergarten students to expose them to the world of plants, encouraging curiosity and exploration of the variations of gardening.

Hunterdon

Readington Township School District

Holland Brook Elementary School

Green Bobcat Team – The grant will support green team work including enhancing a space to use as an outdoor classroom at the school, composting and adding a water bottle filling station.

Hunterdon

Readington Township School District

Three Bridges Elementary School

TBS Green Gardens - The school's Go Green Tiger Team will focus its efforts on enhancing the school grounds with a pollinator garden and a rain garden that the students will help to research, plan and implement.

Hunterdon

Readington Township School District

Whitehouse Elementary School

Whitehouse Green Team - The school green team will further its goals by adding a water bottle filling station and by offering an opportunity for students to participate in a Green Club after school.

Mercer

Ewing Township School District

William L. Antheil Elementary School

Greening Antheil's School Festivals – The green team will help make the school’s four largest festivals “greener” by reducing the use of single-use items and promoting activities that encourage sustainable thought and practice.

Mercer

Lawrence Township Public School District

Eldridge Park Elementary School

Eldridge Park Pedal Power - Two bike racks will be purchased for the school and students that live within walking and biking distance of the school will be encouraged to bike to school.

Middlesex

Highland Park School District

Highland Park High School

Campaign for Clean Green Transportation to School - This initiative aims to increase the number of students commuting to school as pedestrians and bicyclists. The campaign has three parts:  1.) Purchasing and installing a new bike rack to increase capacity by 50%; 2.) A green challenge where students voluntarily pledge to bike, walk or take another green mode of transportation to school every day for two weeks and 3.) A competition for best poster advertising the green challenge and educating about the health and environmental benefits of walking and biking.

Middlesex

Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School District

Piscataway Vocational School

Piscataway's Garden Project – The grant will continue the garden project that includes introducing students to gardening and a farm to table experience provided by the culinary teacher. The garden provides opportunities for hands-on learning, inquiry, observation and experimentation. The goal is to motivate students to eat and love fruits and vegetables.

Middlesex

North Brunswick Township School District

North Brunswick Township High School

Use it then Lose it! or Can it! - Recycling stations will be established in the new cafeteria and recycling bins will be purchased for department workstations. Lids will be purchased for the existing recycling containers.   

Middlesex

Woodbridge Township School District

J. F. Kennedy Memorial High School

Mustangs Go Green with Composting - Students will lead a food waste pickup program every Friday during all cafeteria hours. Collected food waste will be placed into a composter in the school courtyard. Compost will be used on school grounds, distributed to teachers and students and used in science classrooms for continued learning.

Monmouth

Atlantic Highlands School District

Atlantic Highlands Elementary School

Water Bottle Filling Station - The school will install a water filtration and refilling system to promote greater awareness of waste as students and their families will be encouraged to use reusable water bottles. Students will be encouraged to compare the taste of local filtered water to the taste of water bottled and shipped from farther away.

Monmouth

Highlands Borough School District

Highlands Elementary School

Sprinkler System for Sustainable Green Garden - The school will install an irrigation system for its vegetable garden, thereby increasing its efficiency.

Monmouth

Middletown Township Public School District

Fairview Elementary School

Creation Station - A maker space will be created where all students, from kindergarten to fifth grade, in all subject areas, will be challenged to dream, design and create.  It will be a place to make something new as well as to look at what appears to be garbage or recycling and ask, "Can this be something meaningful to our community?" The school will request donations of unwanted items from the community, such as cameras, laptops, phones, old music players, video-recorders and more. 

Morris

Boonton Town School District

Boonton High School

Teacher Lounge Energy Efficiency - Two refrigerators and microwaves in the teachers’ lounge will be replaced with new models that have high energy efficiency ratings from EnergyStar.

Morris

Kinnelon School District

Stonybrook School

Outdoor Classroom with Eco-program - The grant will support three connected projects: creation of an outdoor classroom, upgrading the garden area to accommodate the new classroom and support for a special eco-education program.

Morris

Mine Hill Township School District

Canfield Avenue Elementary School

Rainwater Management - Student green team members will design and build a rain garden on school grounds to capture 50% of water runoff from roof gutters and rain barrels. Design will include native plants, curbing and underdrains to efficiently enhance water quality and control stormwater.

Morris

Roxbury Township School District

Nixon Elementary School

Rethinking Recycling – A recycling initiative will be done to bring a consistent and effective recycling program to the school and provide education on the topic. Student ownership over learning and action will make the students the ambassadors of this initiative and in turn of the Earth that they will inherit. 

Ocean

Brick Township Public Schools

Herbertsville Elementary School

Herbertsville Garden of Hope – Supplies for the garden will be bought such as seeds, soil and greenhouse materials. Students will continue to plant fruits and vegetables in the garden to benefit local food banks. The garden was established in 2016 by 5th grade students with parents and staff. Students and teachers will grow herbs and various vegetables in classroom greenhouses prior to the spring to prepare them for placement in the outdoor garden.

Salem

Quinton Township School District

Quinton Township Elementary School

Taking Care of the Park! - Sturdy recycling and garbage containers will be provided for the heavily trafficked areas of the park to ensure that the school grounds (community park) are well-maintained and recycling continues beyond the school walls. The school playground is the only park in the Township of Quinton and throughout the year there are many visitors who use the facilities (indoor and outdoor) after school hours.

Sussex

Andover Regional School District

Long Pond Middle School

Know the Flow: The Problem with Plastic - Refillable water stations will be installed with informative signs surrounding the station.  The goal is to make students aware of the global problem caused by plastic water bottles and plastics in general. The student population will be educated and provided opportunities to take immediate action through activities, projects, contests and volunteering.

Sussex

Frankford Township Consolidated School District

Frankford Township Elementary School

Green House Curator - The grant will supplement a stipend for the greenhouse curator.  The curator will take care of the greenhouse and use it in the curriculum for the Food Science Class.

Sussex

Stillwater Township School District

Stillwater Township Elementary School

Garden Project Support - The grant will support the green team as they construct and expand an on-site school garden and greenhouse to be used by all students as they learn about agriculture and sustainability in New Jersey. 

Sussex

Vernon Township School District

Vernon Township High School

School Gardens: Pollinators and Garden to Table – Science for Life students will design, plant and maintain a pollination garden to increase pollinators to the school garden which they also maintain. Both gardens will be used by the Biology and Environmental Science classes. Produce from the school garden will be used by the students as they prepare meals for students, faculty and staff. Extra produce will be donated to the local food pantry.

Union

Rahway Public School District

Franklin Elementary School

Toss in the Towel(s) - High efficiency hand driers will be purchased and installed in all of the large student lavatories. This will provide a sanitary, responsible solution to one of the greatest, unnecessary uses of a resource (paper). Installation will be done by district maintenance staff.

Union

Rahway Public School District

Grover Cleveland Elementary School

Toss in the Towel(s) - High efficiency hand driers will be purchased and installed in all of the large student lavatories. This will provide a sanitary, responsible solution to one of the greatest, unnecessary uses of a resource (paper). Installation will be done by district maintenance staff.

Union

Rahway Public School District

Madison Elementary School

Toss in the Towel(s) - High efficiency hand driers will be purchased and installed in all of the large student lavatories. This will provide a sanitary, responsible solution to one of the greatest, unnecessary uses of a resource (paper). Installation will be done by district maintenance staff.

Union

Rahway Public School District

Rahway 7 & 8 Grade Academy

Toss in the Towel(s) - High efficiency hand driers will be purchased and installed in all of the large student lavatories. This will provide a sanitary, responsible solution to one of the greatest, unnecessary uses of a resource (paper). Installation will be done by district maintenance staff.

Union

Rahway Public School District

Rahway High School

Toss in the Towel(s) - High efficiency hand driers will be purchased and installed in all of the large student lavatories. This will provide a sanitary, responsible solution to one of the greatest, unnecessary uses of a resource (paper). Installation will be done by district maintenance staff.

Union

Rahway Public School District

Roosevelt Elementary

Toss in the Towel(s) - High efficiency hand driers will be purchased and installed in all of the large student lavatories. This will provide a sanitary, responsible solution to one of the greatest, unnecessary uses of a resource (paper). Installation will be done by district maintenance staff.


Quotes from Select $10,000 Grant Recipients (Listed alphabetically by county)

“The Estell Manor School District is honored and proud to receive this award. The fund will further assist our students in project based learning and Design Thinking for Green Initiatives.” -- Robert A. Garguilo, Interim Superintendent, Estell Manor School, Estell Manor City School District, Atlantic County

“We are honored to be recognized by Sustainable Jersey for Schools and the New Jersey Education Association. With this grant, we will complete our mobile STEM lab which will be utilized to enhance education offered to our students and local communities on ways they can contribute to a sustainable future.” -- Scott Parker, Principal, Cedar Creek High School, Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District, Atlantic County

“We are greatly thrilled to be associated with this wonderful organization. I truly believe that sustainability is not just an action but a way of life.  Ronald Reagan once said, "There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit."  I truly believe that our initiative epitomized the late President's words.  This was truly a team effort with many great educators, such as Caryn Smith, Jane Francis, community members, such as Gail Corey, and most importantly students working together to make Tabernacle Elementary School more sustainable and aware of their important part of taking care of their community.” -- Gerald Paterson, Ed.D., Principal, Tabernacle Elementary School, Tabernacle Township School District, Burlington County

“The Black Horse Pike Regional School District thanks Sustainable Jersey for Schools and all of its sponsors for bestowing the grant award honor upon our District.  We are very proud of our conservation efforts and our determination to improve the health and wellness of our students, staff and entire school community. The District recognizes the hard work performed by Jennifer Brown, leader of our wellness endeavors, and all of her collaborators for without their labor, this grant would not have been made possible.  We will utilize the grant funding to expand our wellness efforts and to support our attempts to bring awareness to a healthier life style and motivate the school community to move towards healthier life choices.” -- Dr. Brian Repici, Superintendent of Schools, Black Horse Pike Regional School District, Camden County

“We are thankful that Sustainable Jersey for Schools and the New Jersey Education Association selected Essex County – West Caldwell Tech School to receive a $10,000 grant. Our Project “Clean Water for All” will help our school to provide clean drinking water to everyone, reduce our reliance on disposable water bottles, and educate the next generation on conserving and protecting one of our most important natural resources.” -- Ayisha Ingram-Robinson, Principal, West Caldwell Technical School, Essex County Vocational Technical School, Essex County

"The Bayonne Public Schools are pleased to put the Sustainable Jersey for Schools grant award to good use in our continued mission to build a cleaner, greener and brighter future for the students and families of the Bayonne Schools community." -- Dr. Patricia L. McGeehan, Superintendent of Schools, Bayonne Public School District, Hudson County

“The transformative process to create sustainable schools in Long Branch has begun! It started with raising awareness and altering practices, and now we are actually conserving energy, which translates to saving dollars. The guidance and support from Sustainable Jersey has allowed us to maximize our efforts by including the children in the learning monitoring processes. We are now part of the change that needs to happen globally.”  -- Michael Salvatore, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools, Long Branch Public School, Monmouth County

“The growth of the sustainability movement depends upon our success as educators, in growing the minds of our students. We are a small district located on the southern shore of beautiful Lake Hopatcong.  As a result of the work and vision of our STEM Coordinator Julie Crawford, we are moved by a sense of responsibility to imbue our students with the values, attitudes and competence required to serve as ecological stewards. This grant provides meaningful help in doing just that.” -- Bernard Josefberg, Superintendent, Mount Arlington Public School District, Morris County

"The award of this grant marks another milestone for Ms. Crawford, her students and her colleagues. These projects will enable students and staff to fully integrate their learning across the curriculum. The community partnerships supporting this work enable students and staff to take their learning to a new level while contributing to the betterment of their community. We appreciate the continued support of the Lake Hopatcong Foundation and the AEOP of Picatinny Arsenal. We may now realize a long-standing goal with great thanks to NJEA and the Sustainable Jersey grant program." – Jane Jameson, Former Superintendent, Mount Arlington Public School District, Morris County

Quotes from Select $2,000 Grant Recipients (Listed alphabetically by county)

“We are extremely grateful to receive the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Small Grant which is funded by NJEA. This grant will allow us to provide our students with water bottle filling stations to reduce the amount of waste associated with disposable plastic bottles. We will continue to encourage our students and staff to be proactive in protecting and sustaining our environment.”   -- Fred Nickles, Superintendent of Schools; Donna Haye, Assistant Superintendent, and Latifah J. Potter, Principal of the Dr. Joyanne D. Miller Elementary School, Egg Harbor Township, Atlantic County

“The grant funds will be used to improve our morning wellness and yoga program and also improve the classroom environment for Kindergarten to Grade 2 students. Every morning before school begins, our wellness coordinators (school counselor, Mr. Hammell, and 2nd grade teacher, Ms. Izzi) teach yoga to 20-40 K-2 students (day dependent). The Sustainable Jersey/NJEA grant of $2000 is providing the wellness program with additional mats and yoga balls to help sustain and grow the program, and it is also providing yoga balls and other nontraditional classroom materials to improve the 21st century classroom environment at John Brainerd Elementary School.  I have visited the morning wellness program and the nontraditional classrooms on several occasions. The feedback from the students, parents, and staff has been very positive. I applaud the Wellness Coordinators, many of the teachers, and the principal, Mr. Convery, for establishing a growth mindset and 21st century learning environment throughout the school. The grant is expanding these efforts. I want to also thank NJEA and Sustainable Jersey for Schools for supporting the District in expanding our sustainable mission of people, planet, and prosperity at John Brainerd Elementary School, Gertrude Folwell Elementary School, and F. W. Holbein Middle School. Great things are happening in Mount Holly's School District, and its Partners are an integral part of its success.” -- James E. Didonato,Superintendent of Schools, Mount Holly Township Public Schools, Burlington County

“This is one more step amongst many that the Cape May City Elementary School has taken to teach our students and staff to sustain the resources of our Earth.  We know that if we take care of our corner of the Earth with programs such as “Composting Makes Cents”, it will have a ripple effect.  We educate the children of the U.S. Coast Guard Base in Cape May.  When students move to other bases across our nation, they are taking this noble responsibility with them.” -- Victoria Zelenak, Cape May City School Superintendent, Cape May County

“We are very proud to have been awarded Sustainable Jersey for Schools grant for Seth Boyden Elementary School. This award will be invaluable as we continue our commitment to teaching students about sustainability, and modeling green practices ourselves.” – John K. Ramos, Sr., Ed.D., Superintendent of the South Orange Maplewood School District, Essex County

"We are so very pleased to receive this grant to support our Positive Planters Program which will focus on year-round gardening to foster student nutrition and health as well as supporting their emotional well-being. I am especially proud of the staff members involved in the conception of the program and their commitment to not only creating this program for our students, but for striving to develop a program that can be shared with other schools. The professional development and resources being provided would not have been possible without the generous support of this Sustainable Jersey grant funded by NJEA." -- Dr. Nancy Yard, Principal, Holland Township School, Readington Township School District, Hunterdon County

“We are thrilled and grateful to be awarded this grant!  We will now be able to add another water bottle refilling station to our school so we can reduce waste and cultivate good habits as we give children more access to healthy water.  We are also very excited to be able to use the remaining money to implement a Green STEM Club in the Spring 2017 as a new offering for our kindergarten through second grade population!  You are helping us as we teach our youngest learners to ‘think and act green’ as a way of life.” -- Ann T. DeRosa, Ed.D., Principal, Whitehouse School, Readington Township School District, Hunterdon County

“We are very excited to receive a grant for a bicycle rack and helmets.  Eldridge Park is a small neighborhood school where most of our students are either bused or driven by car.  This grant will enable families to ride their bikes together to and from school.  Thank you.” -- Kathryn Robbins, Principal, Eldridge Park Elementary School, Lawrence Township Public School District, Mercer County

"Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools at Piscataway is grateful to receive this grant. It will allow students to continue to grow fruits and vegetables in our established 2,500 square foot outdoor garden. Students will continue to learn outside of classroom walls on their home turf in the outdoor school garden.  Our school grounds have become a campus to explore, so the curriculum content becomes clearly relevant to their lives. We all tend to care more about things that are relevant to us." -- Tracey I. Maccia, Ed.D., Director of Special Services, Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools, Middlesex County

“We are very proud to receive a Sustainable Jersey grant funded by NJEA. We strongly believe that the North Brunswick Township High School community deserves the opportunity to be educated in a healthy and efficient environment.  Thank you for providing us with this wonderful opportunity.” -- Pete Clark, Principal North Brunswick Township High School, North Brunswick Township School District, Middlesex County

“Atlantic Highlands Elementary School is so pleased to have been chosen to receive a Sustainable Jersey NJEA Small Grant to fund a water bottle filling station for the school cafeteria. The water station will provide extremely relevant learning opportunities for our students in science, especially in the areas of environmental and life sciences, which aligns with AHES’ STEAM initiatives. It is our hope that it will also foster a life-long commitment to recycling, reusing and renewing resources which will greatly benefit the school and the Atlantic Highlands community for years to come.” -- Dr. Susan Compton, Tri-District Superintendent of Schools, Atlantic Highlands School District, Monmouth County

“The Atlantic Highlands Elementary School is very honored to have been chosen to receive this grant to help towards the purchase of a water bottle filler for our cafeteria. Students and staff will all benefit from the opportunity to utilize this resource and to increase our sustainability by utilizing reusable bottles. Thank you very much!” -- Janet Walling, Principal of Atlantic Highlands Elementary School, Atlantic Highlands School District, Monmouth County

“Highlands Elementary School is so pleased to have been chosen to receive a Sustainable Jersey NJEA Small Grant to fund a vegetable garden irrigation system. Our sustainable garden will provide extremely relevant learning opportunities in the field of science, especially environmental and life sciences, which aligns with HES’ STEAM initiatives. It is our hope that it will also foster a life-long love of gardening and growing one’s own foods to create sustainable practices that will greatly benefit both the school and the Highlands community as a whole for many years to come.” -- Dr. Susan Compton, Tri-District Superintendent of Schools, Atlantic Highlands School District, Monmouth County

“Boonton High School is thrilled to receive a $2,000 capacity-building grant from Sustainable Jersey funded by NJEA.  This grant will aid not only in establishing our Green Team, but also allow for the purchase of a new energy-efficient refrigerator for each of the two Faculty rooms. This is one small step toward more energy efficient appliances, energy cost savings, and communicating a message of sustainability within our school community.” -- Jason R. Klebez, Principal, Boonton High School, Boonton Town School District, Morris County

“Thank you! Herbertsville Elementary School is extremely fortunate to receive the 2016 Sustainable Jersey for Schools Grant of $2,000! This grant will help our school maintain their school garden. The students will plant herbs and vegetables in the classroom greenhouses prior to the spring to prepare them for placement in the school’s outdoor garden. All students will participate in the school wide initiative to maintain and grow the school garden.  Thank you, for this wonderful opportunity!” -- Bonnie Giles, Principal, Herbertsville School, Brick Township Public Schools, Ocean County

“The Frankford Township school district would like to thank Sustainable Jersey for Schools for this award. We have just completed the construction of a greenhouse on the school property. The students and staff have begun growing foods to be used in school lunches and for our next “A Meal for Amiel” fundraising dinner. This award will be used to offset the costs associated with the running and upkeep of the greenhouse.” -- Braden Hirsch, Superintendent, Frankford Township Consolidated School District, Sussex County

“We are extremely thankful to have received this grant.  It will allow our staff and students to create and sustain both a pollinating garden and a school garden. The pollinating garden will help by attracting pollinators to our school garden.  The produce from the school garden will be utilized by our students as they prepare meals. Additionally, both gardens will be utilized by our Biology and Environmental Science classes.  Our timeline begins in January with design and ordering and runs through the fall, when the students will harvest crops to supply meals and stock our food pantry. We are so happy to have this opportunity and proud of our students as they use this grant for the betterment of our school and its students.” -- Drew D. Krause, Principal, Vernon Township High School, Vernon Township School District, Sussex County