James H. Vernon School students proudly represented their school and community in the sixth annual “I Am EM-Powered” Energy Conservation Public Service Announcement (PSA) Contest, sponsored by PSEG Long Island. The contest challenged students in grades 4 through 8 to create 45-second video PSAs that encourage viewers to take action to conserve energy and help protect the environment.
This year, more than 3,300 students from 42 elementary and middle schools across 32 school districts in Nassau, Suffolk and the Rockaways participated in the program, with 91 teachers submitting a total of 244 videos. Each teacher was asked to submit their top three videos to be judged.
Vernon’s fifth grade students, under the guidance of Mrs. Hauser, Ms. Pellettiere, Mr. Sommo and Ms. Boucher, embraced the challenge and produced outstanding work. On June 3, finalists from those classes attended an award ceremony hosted by PSEG. Two students from Vernon were named among the top 10 winners across Long Island: Henry Gandolfo from Mrs. Hauser and Ms. Pellettiere’s class and Michael Capace from Mr. Sommo and Ms. Boucher’s class. Both students received a $75 Visa gift card in recognition of their creative and compelling videos.
Several other Vernon students were also honored as finalists in the competition, including Zane Rivera, Jake Grimaldi, Joie Guercia and Tessa Marchisetto. Their work stood out among hundreds of entries and exemplified OBEN’s strong commitment to community partners.
The school community is incredibly proud of all the students who participated in this meaningful project, using their creativity and voices to advocate for a more sustainable future.
Click here to view All of the winning videos.