$6,000 Granted For Sustainability Projects At Three Howell Schools

HOWELL, NJ — A sensory path, a water bottle filling station and a playground are ideas that will become reality for Howell students with the help of sustainability grants from the New Jersey Education Association.

The Howell school district was awarded a total of $6,000 in Sustainable Jersey for Schools grants, funded by the New Jersey Education Association, for projects at the Aldrich, Newbury and Taunton elementary schools, the district said. Each school was awarded $2,000.

The NJEA sponsored 11 $10,000 grants and 35 $2,000 grants to New Jersey schools to support a variety of projects, including aquaponics systems, outdoor classrooms, pollinator and edible gardens, water bottle refilling stations, sustainability and STEAM education, food waste and composting initiatives, social emotional learning equipment, school green team capacity building and more.

Here are the projects students in Howell can look forward to working on:

• Aldrich School: Aldrich has a vision for a sensory path to provide a colorful, creative and playful way for students to build sensory connections in the brain that are responsible for sight, touch, and sound. “This pathway will enable our students to complete complex, multi-stage tasks and strengthen their motor skills such as balance, hand-eye coordination, and spatial awareness," said Principal Drew Smith.
• Newbury School: The school is adding a water bottle filling station for staff and students. This will lead to improved health, not only by increasing the intake of water rather than sugary drinks, but also by improving the quality of the water with filtered system for water bottle filling, Principal Jim Quinn said.
• Taunton School: A "Farm to Table Imagination Playground" project will teach primary learners "all about sustainable practices and healthy living," said Principal Brook Napoli.

Principals at all the schools thanked Sustainable Schools NJ and the New Jersey Education Association for helping to make the projects a reality.

The association has provided $2 million to support a sustainable future for children across the state through the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program, it said.

“Our job is to help and support this new generation as they continue to become engaged citizens and leaders. By emphasizing the value of sustainability and healthy practices, which often go hand-in-hand with economic efficiencies, we help ensure that we leave a better world for our children’s children,” said NJEA President Sean Spiller.

In addition to the grant funding, NJEA supports Sustainable Jersey for Schools as a program underwriter.

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, 1,083 schools are participating in the program. Sustainable Jersey for Schools has awarded over $2.8 million in grants to schools and school districts. To learn more about Sustainable Jersey for Schools, visit this link.

NJEA is the state’s largest association of education professionals, representing over 200,000 members. To learn more about NJEA, visit www.njea.org.