Tabernacle Elementary School received Sustainable Jersey certification last year with 175 points. This year, Kenneth R. Olson Middle School also received certification, by earning 185 points.
The Tabernacle School District has worked each year to maintain at least bronze-level certification as part of the Sustainable Jersey program in both its elementary school and Kenneth R. Olson Middle School.
The former received certification last year, with 175 points. This year, Kenneth R. Olson Middle School got certification with 185 points.
“We believe that educating our students about sustainability is part of ensuring they leave here with the ability to take care of the community at large,” school Superintendent Shaun Banin said. “Over the past couple of years, we have added weather stations to our schools, and we continue to integrate environmental projects into our classes.”
One of the projects the fifth-grade students at the middle school recently worked on was a collaborative effort between the school’s library and collaboratory classes.
“They took part in an active exploration of a real-world challenge: How do we prevent the spread of the spotted lanternfly, not only in Tabernacle, but also throughout the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania?” Banin noted.
“Students shared their own experiences with the spotted lanternfly, such as where they’ve seen them and what actions they took …” he added. “They looked at data and maps provided by Rutgers of the spread of the spotted lanternfly and discussed what it means when an animal is invasive.
“Our students learned about why the spotted lanternfly is so destructive in New Jersey, both to the environment and to the economic welfare of farming families, vineyards and landscaping businesses.”
Students created educational posters to describe the spotted lanternfly and what to do upon encountering one. They then brainstormed solutions to help eliminate the insect and worked in groups to design and build traps that were hung outside.
Tabernacle’s middle school was one of 165 that achieved certification in 2024, bringing the total number of currently certified schools across New Jersey to 375. The school was one of only two in Burlington County, Millbridge Elementary in Delran, to receive Sustainable Jersey certification this year.
Sustainable Jersey for Schools developed the voluntary certification program in 2014 as a road map for pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade public schools to implement sustainability best practices. To achieve certification, a school must submit documentation to show it has completed a balanced portfolio of the program’s sustainability actions, earning points for each.
A minimum of 150 points is needed for bronze-level certification; the more advanced silver level requires a minimum of 350 points of sustainability actions.
