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OCEAN CITY, NJ (September 17, 2019) – The Ocean City Intermediate School has met the rigorous requirements to achieve Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification. These schools form part of a group of 108 schools that achieved the Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification in 2019.
“The Ocean City Intermediate School staff, students and families worked hard to continue our sustainable efforts, whether it be recycling, conservation, or energy reduction. It is a great honor to be awarded the certification for the third year in a row,” said Geoffery Haines, Ocean City School District K-12 Athletic Director and former Intermediate School Principal.
Sustainable Jersey for Schools, a program for pre-kindergarten through twelfth-grade public schools in New Jersey, is voluntary, but achieving certification takes commitment and collaborative effort. Each school that is certified at the bronze level must submit documentation to show it has completed a balanced portfolio of the program’s sustainability actions, attaining a minimum of 150 points. This year, ten schools achieved certification at the more advanced silver level which requires a minimum of 350 points of sustainability actions.
Review the complete list of schools that achieved certification in 2019: 2019 Sustainable Jersey for Schools Certified Schools. Currently, a total of 872 schools and 337 school districts are participating in the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program overall.
“I commend the teachers, administrators, staff, parents and students for their hard work and dedication—it’s truly paying off,” said Randall Solomon, executive director of Sustainable Jersey. “The 2019 schools that have achieved Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification are leading the way to a more sustainable New Jersey. I’ve seen time and again, when schools and our young people are given direction and support, they’re powerful catalysts for change. Becoming certified with Sustainable Jersey for Schools is a significant achievement.”
To date, 5,079 sustainability actions were completed by schools and districts participating in the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program - from performing energy audits and boosting recycling efforts to integrating sustainability into student learning and promoting student and staff wellness.
“Sustainable schools provide a healthy environment, conserve resources and improve the well-being of the community,” said Dr. Lawrence S. Feinsod, New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) executive director. “Attaining certification is a significant accomplishment that reflects the leadership of the boards of education and their superintendents, as well as the contributions of principals, teachers, education support professionals and parents in this effort.” On October 22, 2019, the certified schools and their districts will be celebrated at a reception held during NJSBA Workshop 2019 in Atlantic City.
The Ocean City Intermediate School (OCIS) is made up of students in grades four, five, six, seven, and eight, residing in Ocean City and Sea Isle City. OCIS is a school, like the district, that is “committed to excellence” and our highly qualified, excellently prepared, well-trained, and intrinsically motivated staff allows this commitment to occur. The school is supported by a community that recognizes the effort to focus upon what is best for all of the students in Ocean City. The educators at the Ocean City Intermediate School are focused on respect, hard work, dynamic lessons and modeling that will ensure a school environment that provides instruction to meet the needs of each and every student
Our educational programs are academically challenging; engage each student by making connections to previous knowledge and life experiences; are relevant and involve rigorous curricula; and at the same time are exciting and captivating. Our staff has worked hard to align their curriculum and instruction with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards. Outside of the classroom, students are encouraged to act locally and globally, that is, to be contributing members of the school community, the local community, and the global community. Whether students are interacting or bringing cheer to the residents of the local senior home, raising money and/or collecting food and supplies for those less fortunate, campaigning for designated drivers, sending well wishes and items to troops overseas, collecting toys for those children without, or simply improving our Ocean City beaches, the entire Ocean City Intermediate School family strives to improve academically and to truly make a difference as human beings.
About Sustainable Jersey for Schools 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, 336 school districts and 872 schools are participating in the program. The full list of participating and certified schools and school districts is available: Participating Districts and Schools. Sustainable Jersey for Schools has awarded over $1.8 million in grants to schools and school districts. In 2019, Sustainable Jersey is celebrating its 10th Anniversary with a year-long campaign that will include special events to educate and engage the Sustainable Jersey community and create a vision for the future.
Sustainable Jersey for Schools is underwritten by the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA), the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Clean Energy Program, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the PSEG Foundation and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA). The 2019 Sustainable Jersey for Schools grants program is underwritten by the PSEG Foundation, NJEA and the Gardinier Environmental Fund. Platinum and founding sponsors are South Jersey Gas and New Jersey Natural Gas. The gold and founding sponsor is NJM Insurance Group. The silver sponsor is Investors Bank. The bronze sponsors are BioShine, Gabel Associates, Maschio’s Food Service Inc., Jersey Central Power & Light and Schneider Electric.
Program partners include: NJSBA, NJEA, New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA), New Jersey Association of School Business Officials (NJASBO), New Jersey Parent Teacher Association (NJPTA), New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association (NJPSA), New Jersey School Buildings and Grounds Association (NJSBGA) and The Sustainability Institute at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).
Website: www.SustainableJerseySchools.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/SJ_Schools Facebook: www.facebook.com/SustainableJersey Instagram: https://instagram.com/sustainable_jersey/ Linked In: www.linkedin.com/company/sustainable-jersey
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