Two East Meadow students chosen in PSEG contest

PSEG Long Island recently announced the student winners of its fifth annual I Am Em-Powered Energy Conservation Video Public Service Announcement Contest. The top 10 award-winning PSAs were revealed on June 17 at a ceremony at the Long Island Children’s Museum, where the videos of the top 30 finalists are on display through the end of July.

25 students in fourth through seventh grade, along with 10 high school students, were named winners. In addition to certificates honoring their achievements, the winning students and their teachers received Amazon gift cards. Students also received tickets to the museum, and teachers received additional funds to hold a class party to celebrate their star scholars.

More than 3,500 students in nearly 60 schools across Long Island and the Rockaways engaged in I Am Em-Powered’s eco-friendly coursework. The lessons addressed conserving energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and the benefits of renewable energy options — concepts they put into action in their video PSAs.

Among this year’s winners were Victoria Bermeo-Ruiz and Madison Viveiros, both sixth-graders, at Woodland Middle School in the East Meadow School District. Their teacher was Jenna Hughes.

In the fourth through eighth grade category, 82 teachers in 29 school districts participated, with teachers invited to enter three PSAs per class into the contest. A total of 208 videos were submitted for judging. The high school program, which was a smaller cohort, included 347 students who participated in the coursework. In the high school category, three winning videos were chosen.

Along with the announcement ceremony, the finalists were honored at a reception at the museum to celebrate their achievements. More than 250 people, including over 50 students, their teachers, and families attended the event to honor the young environmentalists and view the gallery of their works.

“We are so proud of these young students who created PSAs to educate others on concepts of clean energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and conserving energy,” Michael Voltz, PSEG Long Island’s director of energy efficiency and renewable energy, who co-hosted the event, said. “It was great to share in these kids’ special moment and to meet and thank the teachers who implemented the coursework with them.”

“It was an honor to meet these young conservation advocates and watch their creative videos with them in person,” Michael Presti, PSEG Long Island’s director of customer experience and marketing, added. “It was wonderful to have their parents and teachers join us as we unveiled the students’ work in the Long Island Children’s Museum.”

Sponsored by PSEG Long Island, the I Am Em-Powered program is provided free to students in the company’s service area, which includes Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaways. The STEM-related coursework, created by educational consultants D. Barrett Associates, provides lessons on energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy in alignment with current educational standards on these topics. Videos entered into the contest by the teachers were judged according to a strict grading rubric.

Along with the I Am Em-Powered video gallery, posters created by first through fourth graders who completed PSEG Long Island’s Safety Sleuth program are also on display at the museum. The posters depict situations and offer tips on how to be safe around electricity in and outside the home. More than 2,100 students in 19 school districts participated in this educational program.