Sixth graders, Caroline Kwitkin, Shayne Buddman, Martin Palencia, Lucas Newman, Emily Goldburg and Lila Millen from North Broward Preparatory School (NBPS) won the regional competition in the Lexus Eco Challenge. The challenge is designed to encourage middle and high school students and teachers to make a difference in the eco health of our planet and develop and implement environmental programs that positively impact their communities. The NBPS team, nicknamed the CO2 Crew, will now compete in the 11th year of the contest and compete in the Final Challenge at the national level.
The Lexus Eco Challenge, designed by Lexus and Scholastic, is a nationwide education program and contest about the environment that empowers teens to create a better world. The students at NBPS have accepted the challenge by taking a stand and proving that a small group can bring about big changes. After carefully studying the local environment, the students developed an action plan to increase awareness of fossil fuels on the oceans.
For the challenge, NBPS students conducted a study on ocean acidification. The students determined that humans directly impact how the chemistry of the ocean is changing in a negative way by studying how greenhouse gasses are absorbed by the ocean and pollute the water. The CO2 Crew’s action plan is twofold. First, they will work to increase public awareness of how their use of fossil fuel impacts the ocean. Secondly, they will be working in a lab to breed seaweed and test how much carbon dioxide it can absorb. The students’ long-term goal is to reduce the amount of coral and sea life dying in the ocean so they can help prevent the collapse of the food chain. Faculty member, Hope Kennedy, guided the student group.
The students are inviting the community to support their action plan by focusing on the amount of fossil fuels burned everyday in school carpool lines. The team encourages you to turn your car off while you are waiting, to ride with someone else, and to bike or walk whenever you can.
Lexus and Scholastic will choose 16 winning teams nationwide. Each team will receive a total of $10,000 in grants and scholarships. All winning teams from this challenge and one other challenge will be invited to participate in the Final Challenge for a chance to win one of two grand prizes of $30,000 in grants and scholarships. Eight first-place prizes of $15,000 in grants and scholarships will also be awarded.
At North Broward Preparatory School, we prepare our students to be adept and agile deep thinkers, to communicate with skill and poise, to forge connections across disciplines and cultures, and to take risks to stretch one’s intellect and talents in new directions. As a member of Nord Anglia Education, North Broward students enjoy unique learning opportunities with world-class organizations like Juilliard and MIT, and participate in enriched educational collaborations like Project Tanzania and Global Campus. Our rigorous academics combined with state-of-the-art facilities, competitive athletics, dynamic fine arts and innovative STEAM programs provide an unmatched educational experience tailored to your child’s interest. For more information visit www.nbps.org.
