Cedar Creek students present sustainability projects after EcoSchools gold recognition
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Students from Cedar Creek High School described projects that earned their class an EcoSchools US/NJ gold-level award, including a 316-pound waste audit, a food-recovery program for after-school athletes, native tree plantings and a partnership with Stockton University for cedar salinity research.
Mrs. Erin Sharp, Cedar Creek High School's green-team leader, introduced three sustainability interns and told the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District board that last year’s interns earned a gold-level EcoSchools recognition.
"I myself am Mrs. Erin Sharp and I'm the teacher that they have as well as the green team leader here at Cedar Creek," Sharp said as she opened the presentation. Student representatives then outlined projects the internship class documented and implemented, emphasizing student leadership and measurable outcomes.
Cassidy Judson described the group's award and project process: "So this year our projects received an award recognizing the outstanding work initiated by the last 6 interns who began their school year collaborating on group projects before transitioning into individual initiatives aimed at improving the Cedar Creek community." The students highlighted a food-recovery effort that places unopened food from lunches in the athletic trainer’s office for after‑school athletes, designed to reduce waste and provide snacks for students.
A student presenter walked the board through a waste audit: "We collected recycling and trash, sorted and restored 316 pounds of waste collected and responsibly disposed," providing a quantified result the students said will guide future waste‑reduction steps. The group also described native-tree plantings — including Atlantic white cedar plantings done in collaboration with Stockton University — and a small salt‑exposure trial to study impacts on cedar survival.
Students noted outdoor-classroom improvements at Cedar Creek, such as a courtyard learning area with a pond, a new compost bin and a maintained garden. Sharp stressed the broader benefits of EcoSchools participation: student civic responsibility, leadership development and opportunities to link classroom work to community and research partners.
Board members thanked the students and staff for the presentation and their extra‑duty work. The presentation concluded with the superintendent and board praising the students’ commitment and confirming the district will continue partnerships that allow student projects to inform larger research efforts.
Next steps: students said they will continue documenting evidence for this school year’s projects with the goal of pursuing national EcoSchools recognition again.