Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva Students Take Top Wins in Middlesex County Environmental Essay Contest

Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva students have won the top three spots in an environmental essay contest sponsored by the Middlesex County Department of Public Safety and Health.

The three winners — all 12-year-old sixth-grade girls from East Brunswick — were Michal Shechter, first place; Ali Reich, second place; and Mikayla Elk, third place.

Language arts teacher Marla Liebhaber brainstormed with the students before they wrote their essays. “All our students not only learn about the environment and pollution in science, but I also integrate it into language arts,” she said. “We talk about the environment, how we can help the environment in school, at home, and in our communities.”

Shechter focused her essay on ways to benefit the environment at home, including turning a plastic milk jug into a birdhouse.  Reich chose a musical theme for her essay, in which she advocated recycling old music books to make them into children’s books about recycling.  Elk suggested a smartphone app that would award points for picking up litter. When enough points are accumulated, the user would get a free app.

The three students were recognized and presented with certificates and reusable tote bags at the June meeting of the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders.