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.
Among the winners was Olivia Katherine Wong, a fifth-grader from Shelton’s Perry Hill School, who won the third place award in her grade.
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 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, 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.
The winners represented 20 towns and cities across Connecticut.
