Sustainable Jersey on Tuesday Oct. 22 announced the recipients of the 2019 Sustainable Jersey for Schools awards – and the Highland Park School District was among the winners by earning the GREEN TEAM COLLABORATION AWARD.
“The district institutionalized a culture of sustainability since it was last recognized by Sustainable Jersey three years ago. The natural next step was to work with borough partners to scale up our efforts by implementing exciting projects like the $30,000 grant-funded planting of trees all over our campuses,” said Dr. Scott Taylor, Superintendent, Highland Park Schools.
The announcement was made at a reception during the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) Workshop 2019 in Atlantic City. Award winners are selected from the schools that are certified in the designated award year.
The 2019 Sustainability Champion award recipients are:
- SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPION (ELEMENTARY SCHOOL): George L. Catrambone Elementary School, Long Branch Public School District (Monmouth County)
- SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPION (MIDDLE SCHOOL): Christa McAuliffe Middle School, Jackson Township Public Schools (Ocean County)
- SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPION (HIGH SCHOOL): Brimm Medical Arts High School, Camden City Public Schools (Camden County)
The 2019 Sustainable Jersey for Schools special award winners are:
- SUSTAINABILITY MAKES $ENSE AWARD: Upper Township School District (Cape May County)
- GREEN TEAM COLLABORATION AWARD: Highland Park School District (Middlesex County)
“The Sustainable Jersey for Schools awards recognize the outstanding work being done at the local level,” said Randall Solomon, the executive director of Sustainable Jersey. “These schools and school districts deserve to be commended for their accomplishments as they help us rethink, refine and build consensus around the sustainable future we want.” To date, 876 of New Jersey’s schools have demonstrated their leadership and commitment to sustainability by registering with the Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification program.
ABOUT THE AWARDS
2019 Sustainability Champion Award: The Sustainability Champion award recognizes schools that were certified this year with the highest number of points in their category: elementary, middle or high school. Baseline bronze certification requires a minimum of 150 points.
Sustainability Makes $ense Award: This award recognizes a district that has made exemplary progress in sustainability resulting in cost savings to the school district.
Green Team Collaboration Award: This award recognizes municipal and school green teams working together to advance sustainability in their schools and communities.
About Sustainable Jersey for Schools
Sustainable Jersey for Schools is a certification program for public schools in New Jersey. It was launched by Sustainable Jersey, an organization that provides tools, training and financial incentives to support and reward municipalities and schools as they pursue sustainability programs. To date, 339 school districts and 876 schools are participating in the program. The full list of participating and certified schools and school districts is available: Participating Districts and Schools. Sustainable Jersey for Schools has awarded over $1.8 million in grants to schools and school districts. In 2019, Sustainable Jersey is celebrating its 10th Anniversary with a year-long campaign that will include special events to educate and engage the Sustainable Jersey community and create a vision for the future.
Sustainable Jersey for Schools is underwritten by the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA), the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Clean Energy Program, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the PSEG Foundation and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA). The 2019 Sustainable Jersey for Schools grants program is underwritten by the PSEG Foundation, NJEA and the Gardinier Environmental Fund. Platinum and founding sponsors are South Jersey Gas and New Jersey Natural Gas. The gold and founding sponsor is NJM Insurance Group. The silver sponsor is Investors Bank. The bronze sponsors are BioShine, Gabel Associates, Maschio’s Food Service Inc., Jersey Central Power & Light and Schneider Electric.
Program partners include: NJSBA, NJEA, New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA), New Jersey Association of School Business Officials (NJASBO), New Jersey Parent Teacher Association (NJPTA), New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association (NJPSA), New Jersey School Buildings and Grounds Association (NJSBGA) and The Sustainability Institute at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).
Website: www.SustainableJerseySchools.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SJ_Schools
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SustainableJersey
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sustainable_jersey/
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/company/sustainable-jersey