Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Six students win local contest for ideas on conservation

Six Clark County School District students were named winners of the first "Yes! Think Green" contest for their ideas on how to conserve energy in Las Vegas.

The elementary, middle and high school students submitted their ideas through a drawing, model or essay between January and March for a chance to win cash prizes.

This month, the six were selected out of 250 entries. The winners were chosen based on how well they explained their ideas, their potential implementation and their potential impact on the economy, environment and community.

Entries were judged by Yes! Air Conditioning and Plumbing Las Vegas, which sponsored the contest.

“We were overwhelmed by the quality and quantity of incredible entries we received from the students,” Lance Fernandez, the company’s regional manager, said in a statement. “It’s rewarding to know that these future leaders already have a basic awareness of the environmental issues facing our planet and are thinking about and pursuing ways to be environmentally conscious.”

Here are the student winners:

• Luis Guzman, a Clark High School student, won $125 for his essay on using solar panels to power major casinos.

• Sarah Rinehart, a Sandy Valley High School student, won $125 for her essay on how future home construction could be built more efficiently to conserve energy.

• Heavenly Harris, a Robison Middle School student, won $75 for her poster on why hand dryers are more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly than paper towels.

• Klarissa Pope, a Robison Middle School student, won $75 for her poster on why replacing air conditioner filters conserves energy and saves money.

• Mikayla Capers, a Cunningham Elementary School student, won $50 for her essay on how to create solar-powered cellphones.

• Chantry Harris, a Hayden Elementary School student, won $50 for her essay on how to stop global warming by using wind and solar power.

Yes! Air Conditioning and Plumbing also awarded Robison Middle School an additional $500 for having the most student entries in the contest. CCSD teacher Caroline Tsoi’s seventh grade-science class submitted more than 130 individual posters and essays. Tsoi, a Teach for America teacher, said she viewed the “Think Green” contest as an opportunity to encourage her students to get involved in Robison’s annual science fair.

“It is particularly important that we get kids in Clark County to start thinking about energy conservation from an early age,” Beverly Mason, the School District’s director of school-community partnership office, said in a statement. “Youth are more likely to develop life-long environmentally healthy habits when they learn about energy conservation at a young age.”

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