BRIDGEWATER – Sustainable Jersey for Schools presented Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School (SCVTHS) with a Bronze Certification during the New Jersey School Boards Association Workshop, held in Atlantic City in late October. SCVTHS joins 375 certified schools across New Jersey that are recognized as leading examples of sustainability excellence.
The certification is the result of SCVTHS initiating and completing a number of actions that Sustainable Jersey has designated as best practices. Each action is assigned a point value, and the Bronze Certification requires a minimum of 150 points. SCVTHS earned over 180 points as a result of the various environmental, curricular, and social emotional learning activities in which the school community participated.
Special Education Instructor Mary Kreiss-Papalski and Science Instructor Shannon Pisani spearheaded the campaign to gain the certification. However, as Mrs. Pisani noted, “This was a collaborative effort. The administration was supportive and so were the staff and students. We had departments working together to contribute to improving the overall climate of the school.” Those collaborations were key to making SCVTHS more sustainable and to creating a nurturing environment for student growth. According to Mrs. Kreiss-Papalski, many of the actions that counted towards the certification “capitalized on what the school was already doing. And this is a way of shining the light on the practices that we already do in regards to sustainability at SCVTHS - sustainability not just on an environmental level, but also of our people and our community.” She added “We're definitely going to move forward and are planning to initiate additional sustainable practices.”
Photo: SCVTHS was presented with a plaque honoring the achievement of Bronze Certification from Sustainable Jersey for Schools during the New Jersey School Boards Association Workshop, held in Atlantic City in late October. Pictured are (l-r) Caroline Ehrlich, Vice Chair, Sustainable Jersey, SCVTHS Special Education Instructor Mary Kreiss-Papalski, SCVTHS Science Instructor Shannon Pisani, and Randall Solomon, Executive Director, Sustainable Jersey.“I’m proud of our accomplishment and thank Mrs. Kreiss-Papalski and Mrs. Pisani for taking the lead with the gathering of the documentation” said SCVTHS Principal Hector Montes. In addition, he cited the efforts of the school community to develop environmental initiatives. “Our Green Team meets once a month. It's a collaborative, environmentally focused group that includes staff, administration, students and the community. This year we started a compost interdisciplinary project between our Culinary Arts and Agriculture Science programs, installed water bottle filtration systems throughout the campus and facilitated clothing drives. We’re looking forward to continuing to find ways to create a more sustainable SCVTHS.”
Sustainable Jersey for Schools 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, 1,188 schools are participating in the program. Sustainable Jersey for Schools has awarded over $3.4 million in grants to schools and school districts.
45° and Overcast