Manchester School Wins $10K Sustainability Grant

MANCHESTER, NJ — Whiting Elementary School will have opportunities to learn in an outdoor classroom thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program.

The Manchester Township school was one of six schools across New Jersey to receive the $10,000 grants; another 20 received $2,000 grants, all of which are funded by the PSEG Foundation through Sustainable Jersey for Schools, which encourages schools to incorporate environmentally sustainable efforts to reduce the impact on the Earth.

Whiting School’s project, the Wildcat Wilderness Workspace, will be a sustainable outdoor classroom with a permeable surface and rain collection system to engage "students in the outdoors and the various facets of learning it offers,” Whiting Principal Evelyn Swift said.

"We believe this outdoor classroom will benefit our students’ overall develpment and engagement in school. Bringing learning outdoors, in an intentional project-based environment, is a fun way to nurture our students' natural inquiry," she said.

The classroom will include hands-on projects that will incorporate math and science, and reach students of "all learning styles," she said.

“Thank you to my co-grant writers, Mr. Chris Titmas and Mrs. Natalie Baranyay for their hard work in this endeavor. Their efforts helped to make this project happen,” Swift said.

Other projects that received grants included a recycling program, after-school garden clubs, filtered water bottle filling stations, a pollinator garden, a recycling campaign to reduce the number of single-use plastic water bottles and much more, Sustainable Jersey for Schools officials said.

"It’s a great honor to support schools and school districts that are doing the important work of integrating sustainability into student learning around the state. These projects have a significant impact on New Jersey’s sustainability goals and will directly benefit the students," said Randall Solomon, the executive director of Sustainable Jersey.

The PSEG Foundation has contributed over $1 million in funding to the Sustainable Jersey Grants Program.

"We are proud to partner with Sustainable Jersey, an organization bringing about real positive change for our state, to support and help fund projects that provide sustainable neighborhoods, economic development and STEM education. By supporting sustainable education in schools, we can help guide children and engage entire communities in the ways to help transform the environment,” said Barb Short, president of the PSEG Foundation.

The Sustainable Jersey for Schools grants are intended to help school districts and schools make progress toward a sustainable future in general, and specifically toward Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification. Currently 300 districts and 745 schools have registered to work toward Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification.

Manchester Township School District officials accept the Sustainable Jersey for Schools grant for Whiting Elementary School. From left: Manchester School Board President Donald Webster Jr.; Randall Solomon, Executive Director, Sustainable Jersey; Rick Dovey, Chairperson, Sustainable Jersey Board of Trustees; Whiting teacher Natalie Baranyay; Whiting Principal Evelyn Swift; Whiting teacher Christopher Titmas; Manchester Superintendent David Trethaway; Maria Spina, Program Officer, PSEG Foundation, and Michael Schmid, Division Manager - Central Division, PSE&G.

Photo provided by Manchester Township Schools via Sustainable Jersey for Schools