Energize Connecticut, together with The Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund, Connecticut Light & Power and the United Illuminating Company, announced yesterday the winners of its ninth annual eesmarts™ student contest for students in grades K-12 - including two students from Granby.
The contest gave Connecticut students the opportunity to showcase their “energy smarts” about saving energy by answering grade-level specific prompts regarding energy efficient and renewable energy technology. Students submitted entries in a variety of mediums including poems, essays, graphs and artwork.
The ceremony was held in the Old Judiciary Room of the Connecticut State Capitol and attracted more than 100 students, parents and energy efficiency supporters in celebration of the students’ hard work. Katie Dykes, Deputy Commissioner of Energy for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), along with Jamie Howland, ENE (Environment Northeast) and First Vice Chairperson of the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Board, were both on hand to congratulate the winners. WFSB Channel 3 Meteorologist Mark Dixon served as Master of Ceremonies for the second year in a row.
“You don’t have to be an adult to understand the importance of energy efficiency,” said Dykes. “The eesmarts program and annual Student Contest plays an important role in helping students from kindergarten all the way through high school learn and appreciate the importance of energy efficiency and renewable energy, positioning them for a lifetime of environmentally-conscious thinking.”
First prize winners received an iPad and second prize winners received a Kindle Fire. Third place winners received a $25 dollar gift card to Amazon, along with a season pass for their family to a science museum, which includes the choice of The Connecticut Science Center (Hartford), The Discovery Museum (Bridgeport) or Stepping Stones Museum for Children (Norwalk).
New to the contest this year was the “Power of Change” award category for Grades 9-11, which asked students to propose a community-based project plan to address an energy-related issue. The eesmarts program partnered with three Connecticut-based foundations — the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, Hampshire Foundation, and the Common Sense Fund — to identify three winners in this category to receive funding to make their community-based project a reality. The three foundations will together provide grants of $1,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place and $500 for third place. The eesmarts program will match the foundations’ awards in this category.
Representing 20 cities and towns across Connecticut, the winners included:
Kindergarten
First: Megan Emerson, St. Martha School, Enfield
Second: Zoe Miller, St. Peter/St. Francis School, Torrington
Third: Lauren Kosha, St. Peter/St. Francis School, Torrington
First Grade
First: Salma Farid, Salma K. Farid Academy, Hamden
Second: Alexis Mastrangelo, St. Martha School, Enfield
Third: Harold Banigas, Maria Sanchez Elementary School, Hartford
Second Grade
First: Yash Bhandari, Newfield Elementary School, Stamford
Second: Margo Katz, Mary T. Murphy Elementary School, Branford
Third: Emma Lee, St. Martha School, Enfield
Third Grade
First: Thomas Kannam, John Lyman Elementary School, Middlefield
Second: Karina McMahon, Burr Elementary School, Fairfield
Third: Nathan Ertl, Marvin Elementary, Norwalk
Fourth Grade
First: Indro Cavanna, Worthington Hooker School, New Haven
Second: Anna Patterson, Stratfield School, Fairfield
Third: Eleanor L. Bryda, St. Anthony’s School, Winsted
Fifth Grade
First: Gianna Benni, Walsh Intermediate, Branford
Second: Emma Gallagher, Walsh Intermediate, Branford
Third: Olivia Katherine Wong, Perry Hill School, Shelton
Sixth Grade
First: Sarah Lewis, King Philip Middle School, West Hartford
Second: Andrew Bean, Wells Road Intermediate, Granby
Third: Lindsay Courser, Wells Road Intermediate, Granby
Seventh Grade
First: Ashlinn Virgulto, Walter C. Polson Middle School, Madison
Second: Imani Shortz, John Winthrop Middle School, Deep River
Third: Michael McMahon, Tomlinson Middle School, Fairfield
Eighth Grade
First: Joseph Bechard & Artur Zielinski, Sacred Heart School, New Britain
Second: Alora Foster, St. Peter/St. Francis School, Torrington
Third: Rowan O’Connell, Frank W. Strong Middle School, Durham
Honorable Mention: Conor Jones, Roger Ludlowe Middle School, Fairfield
High School: Grades 9-12 (Power of Change winners)
First: Anaid Enriquez, West Haven High School, West Haven
Second: Vanessa Brown, West Haven High School, West Haven
Third: Anuj Sisodiya, Trumbull High School, Trumbull
For more information on the student contest and the eesmarts™ program, please visit www.eesmarts.com.
About Energize Connecticut
Energize Connecticut helps you save money and use clean energy. It is an initiative of the Energy Efficiency Fund, the Clean Energy Finance & Investment Authority, the State, and your local electric and gas utilities, with funding from a charge on customer energy bills. Information on energy-saving programs can be found at EnergizeCT.com or by calling 1.877.WISE.USE.
