Cape Tech receives $75K to fund student-led environmental education

Cape May Court House, NJ – Cape May County Technical School District (Cape Tech) announced that the high school received $75,000 in grant funds toward efforts to expand ecosystem stewardship and environmental science education. The funding from the New Jersey Department of Education will support greater access to climate change education, starting with a three-pronged project at Cape May County Technical High School.

Cape Tech will soon begin implementing activities that encourage student-centered experiential learning opportunities and engagement in location-based climate change solutions. Initial plans include expanding outdoor classrooms and beekeeping practices, along with creating a sustainable source of maple syrup through Cape Tech’s maple tapping project. The final phase will focus on developing an on-campus fish hatchery to create a sustainable source of the popular table fish yellow perch.

Cape Tech submitted the grant application in January for the Expanding Access to Climate Change Education and the New Jersey Student Learning Standards through Interdisciplinary Learning and Community Resilience Projects. They have been awarded $75,752 in total grant funds to be used for projects through June 2025.

For fiscal year 2024, the NJDOE allocated $4.5 million to support climate change education in New Jersey schools. The funds Cape Tech acquired are part of a second grant opportunity to advance implementation of climate change education that is now included in New Jersey Student Learning Standards.

“We are thrilled to be recipients of this competitive grant, which will prove helpful in our effort to expand environmental stewardship and ensure our adherence to state-mandated climate change education,” said Cape May County Technical School District Superintendent Jamie Moscony. “Through this grant, we are excited to launch this student-led plan for our high school, which will enrich our community and expand new educational opportunities for our students, all while bettering the environment.”

With supervision from environmental science teacher Michael Adams, Cape Tech will launch the project-based plan and a corresponding student-led community resilience project focused on climate action. The Culinary Arts and Carpentry/Property Management departments will also be involved with the projects. First steps include establishing a native plant garden with an outdoor classroom to expand the on-campus bee apiary. That project will include creating a man-made habitat for beehives and using beekeeping methods as a form of native plant management. Grant-funded plans also include an expansion of the high school’s maple tapping project, to allow for greater capacity to tap trees, produce syrup, and create data to test the viability of red maples for syrup production.

“Traditionally, syrup is produced from the sugar maple, however, in the face of climate change and warming temperatures, sap yields have begun to decline as the tree’s native range continues to push further north. Red maples in South Jersey represent a potential sustainable alternative, which we plan to bring to our campus,” Adams said.

Final stages of the plan include developing an on-campus fish hatchery using the native yellow perch, a fish that thrives in South Jersey freshwater ecosystems and has a high commercial value. Fish hatcheries that use recirculating systems minimize water use while maximizing protein yield. Climate change, along with over-harvesting, continues to threaten fish stocks, so on-campus fish hatcheries provide a sustainable solution for food production.

“As a result of these funds, we can provide our students with these innovative and invaluable hands-on learning experiences, so they can learn methodologies and solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change and practice their skills in community engagement as we promote our efforts on campus,” Moscony said.

To learn more about Cape Tech and its programs, visit CapeMayTech.com.