THE 2021 PROJECT
For the 2020-2021 Academic Year, Jersey City Public School Student Teams were charged with becoming ambassadors for the environment. They identified problems and found solutions that impact the health and long term viability of our ecosystems on a local, national or global level.
This year’s challenge was designed to meet the current distanced learning standards.
Students in every grade level participated.
Grades K-2
Students in kindergarten through 2nd grade learned about what it means to be an ambassador for the environment and designed a mural to educate the public about an environmental issue.
Students also learned about the impact of various modes of transportation and created prototypes of their own environmentally friendly vehicles and submitted videos introducing and advertising their vehicle.
See all of the K-2 finalists HERE.
Grades 3-12
Students in grades 3-12 formed teams that each identified an environmental challenge and created a solution that incorporated Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM). As part of their project, teams had the opportunity to reach out to topic experts who answered their questions and helped them identify solutions.
Although Jersey City schools were mostly operating remotely this year due to the Coronavirus epidemic, student teams were still able to complete their projects and were able to remotely present their projects to a panel of expert judges on May 28th.
You can find descriptions of all 2021 projects for student teams in grades 3-12 HERE.
RESOURCES
This year the Sustainable STEAM Challenge offered several resources to teachers and student teams. As in previous years, student teams were able to connect directly with a volunteer subject matter expert.
Additionally, for the 2020-2021 Academic Year, the Sustainable STEAM Challenge teamed up with the organizations Solar One and Greener JC to provide research materials and suggested activities for a number of sustainability topics, including air pollution, plastic pollution, biodiversity, energy, food systems, and climate science.
The 2021 Sustainability STEAM Challenge was a partnership between the Jersey City Public Schools Curriculum and Instruction Department and the Jersey City Office of Sustainability, with considerable help from the New York Academy of Sciences, Solar One, and Greener JC.
The 2021 JCPS District Team
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Ellen M. Ruane, Assistant Superintendent
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Albert Padilla, Project Curriculum Director/JCPS District Supervisor of Science K-8
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Stacy Feszchak, Project Performing Art Director/JCPS District Supervisor of Performing Arts K-12
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Melissa Cucinello, Project Visual Art Director / JCPS District Supervisor of Visual Arts K-12
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Manisha Shah, JCPS District Supervisor of Science 9-12
Our 2021 Partners
