JACKSON – The Christa McAuliffe Middle School is among the state’s 2019 Sustainability Award winners.
The township school joins fellow award recipients George L. Catrambone Elementary School, Brimm Medical Arts High School, Highland Park School District and the Upper Township School District.
Sustainable Jersey recently announced the recipients during a reception at the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) workshop in Atlantic City. The Award winners are selected from the schools that are certified in the designated award year.
McAuliffe won the Sustainability Champion middle school category and was the only winner from Ocean 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,” Solomon said.
Currently, 876 of the state’s schools have demonstrated their leadership and commitment to sustainability by registering with the Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification program.
This year’s Sustainability Champion Award recognizes schools that were certified in 2019 with the highest number of points in their category: elementary, middle or high school. Baseline bronze certification requires a minimum of 150 points.
McAuliffe received 285 points. This is the first time the school has earned the award.
Debra Phillips, the school’s principal, said, “McAuliffe Middle School is so honored to have earned this award because it recognizes the power of working together for the common good.”
“Our entire school community takes great pride in finding new and creative ways we can live responsibly and take care of our planet, and each other,” Phillips said.
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.
[adrotate banner="278"]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.
The organization 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).
For more information visit SustainableJerseySchools.com.
