ATLANTA, April 22, 2017 – The National Society of High School Scholars Foundation (NSHSS Foundation) and the Captain Planet Foundation (CPF) today announced the winners of their 5th annual Earth Day competition. 10 winners were chosen to receive a $500 award to implement their Earth Day project or use towards education-related expenses. The international Earth Day competition award applicants submit projects that demonstrate environmental stewardship, leadership and volunteerism.
The 2017 Earth Day Award Winners are:
- Ella Carter, North Carolina School of Science and Math, Roanoke Rapids, NC
- Ramsey Cook, Rome High School, Rome, GA
- Jorge Del'Angel, Alabama School of Mathematics and Science, Mobile, AL
- Lynsey Johnson, Tillamook High School, Tillamook, OR
- Neel Karia, Bhavani Shankar Road Junior College of Science, Maharashtra, India
- Brooke Kauchak, Granville High School, Granville, OH
- Truth Muller, Homeschooled Student, Rock Hill, NY
- Catherine Purnell, H.B. Plant High School, Tampa, FL
- Thomas Quijano, Princeton Day School, Hopewell, NJ
- Benjamin Wu, Interlake High School, Bellevue, WA
“We are very proud to recognize these 10 outstanding students for their dedication to protecting and preserving the environment,” said Claes Nobel, founder of the NSHSS Foundation and senior member of the family that established the Nobel Prizes. “These students exhibit tremendous initiative to create impactful projects that will spark positive environmental change in their communities around the world.”
To be considered for the Earth Day Award, high school students from around the world with a GPA of 3.0 or higher submitted details about an environmental project they are spearheading, or a project that will be initiated around Earth Day in their home, school and/or community. Additional details on award submission requirements can be found online.
“This year’s winners are an inspiration to us all,” said Laura Turner Seydel, chairperson of the Captain Planet Foundation. “We are honored to award these young scholars for their engagement in their local communities and efforts to improve the environment.”
The NSHSS Foundation and CPF joined forces in 2013 with the shared commitment of encouraging high school students around the globe to demonstrate their dedication to the Earth through action, highlighting those who are humanitarians, leaders and creators. Through their partnership, the organizations hope to increase awareness of Earth Day and CPF’s work supporting environmental leadership of high-achieving high school students and educators. In the past four years, a total of 47 Earth Day grants of $500 each have been awarded to winners who are actively demonstrating a commitment to care for the Earth.
The NSHSS Foundation was founded in 2004 by Claes Nobel, senior member of the family that established the Nobel Prizes. The NSHSS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity dedicated to supporting education in the form of scholarships for under-represented students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), business, economics, public policy, and environmental science and sustainability fields. Through special programs, the NSHSS Foundation connects young scholars with additional opportunities to advance their education, personal growth and career interests. The Foundation recognizes the need to produce more graduates in these fields in order to meet the demands of an ever-changing global economy and society to create a better future for all. For more information visit http://www.nshssfoundation.org.
Based on the critically-acclaimed animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers,CPF was co-founded in 1991 by media mogul Ted Turner and producer Barbara Pyle. Since then, the Captain Planet Foundation has played a critical role in helping to ensure that the next generation of business leaders and policy makers are environmentally literate citizens who leverage technology and information to manage and protect the air, land and water upon which all life depends.
CPF is a grant-making foundation that has funded over 2,000 hands-on environmental education projects with schools and non-profits that serve children in all 50 U.S. states and in 25 countries internationally. More than 1.2 million children have directly participated in and benefited from these educational projects. In addition to its Small Grants Program, the Captain Planet Foundation also operates the following programs: Project Learning Garden, Project Hero, the Leadership Center, SAGES, and a number of other science education initiatives that promote the intersections between technology, innovation, the environment and personal action.
For more information: www.captainplanetfoundation.org.
Media Contact:
Danielle Bedasse
404-235-5500
pr@nshss.org