Lawrence Elementary School was one of 34 New Jersey schools to receive a grant from Sustainable Jersey for Schools at an event held April 25.
The school received a $2,000 grant to bring yoga into the classroom, funded by the PSEG Foundation. Four school received $10,000 grants, and 30 earned $2,000 grants. Funded projects include an outdoor science lab, sustainability curriculum, school wellness programs, hydroponic and aeroponic gardens, green walls, wind and solar energy charging stations, recycling and more.
The LES grant provides professional development for LES staff through a seminar, teaching them how to implement yoga into their classrooms. Yoga can provide motor breaks for students in an effort to promote healthy mindsets and wellness. Cari Gallagher, LES 3rd grade teacher, and Melissa Lockett, LES principal, wrote the grant. Gallagher leads the district’s Green Team.
“Implementing moments of movement at LES will improve the focus, emotional health and overall well-being of our students,” Lockett said. “We collectively plan to empower our students with effective skills to increase functionality and productivity throughout the school day and in their daily lives.”
All seven LTPS are registered with Sustainable Jersey for Schools. The schools and district as a whole currently are working towards certification within the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program.
Proposals were evaluated by an independent Blue Ribbon Selection Committee. 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 256 districts and 634 schools have registered to work toward Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification. The PSEG Foundation has contributed over $1 million in funding to the Sustainable Jersey Small Grants Program.
Lawrence Elementary School was recently awarded a grant from Sustainable Jersey for Schools. Left to right: Donald Webster, Jr., Sustainable Jersey Board of Trustees; Crystal Edwards, LTPS superintendent; Melissa Lockett, LES principal; Cari Gallagher, LES teacher; Lisa Gleeson, PSEG Foundation program officer; and Randall Solomon, Sustainable Jersey executive director.,
