Earth Day Essay Contest Winners Announced

Elementary, middle and high school students win medals in The University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest.
Elementary, middle and high school students won awards at this year’s University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest. From left: Mark Murphy, director of sustainability at the University; essay contest winners Rebecca Cruciani, ninth to 12th grade category, Scranton High School; Josephine Krokus, seventh grade, and Molly O’Boyle, special award for third and fourth grade, both from Howard Gardner MI Charter School; and Gavin Ross, eighth grade, Abington Heights Middle School; and Casie Berkhouse and Megan Wolfe from Howard Gardner MI Charter School. Absent from the photo was essay contest winner Lola Pulatova, sixth grade, from the Bay Academy in Brooklyn, New York.
Elementary, middle and high school students won awards at this year’s University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest. From left: Mark Murphy, director of sustainability at the University; essay contest winners Rebecca Cruciani, ninth to 12th grade category, Scranton High School; Josephine Krokus, seventh grade, and Molly O’Boyle, special award for third and fourth grade, both from Howard Gardner MI Charter School; and Gavin Ross, eighth grade, Abington Heights Middle School; and Casie Berkhouse and Megan Wolfe from Howard Gardner MI Charter School. Absent from the photo was essay contest winner Lola Pulatova, sixth grade, from the Bay Academy in Brooklyn, New York.

The winners of The University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest were announced at the Evening of Environmental Science event, which was held in the atrium of the Loyola Science Center in April. Nearly 70 students competed in the contest that addressed this year’s essay theme of “The Impact of Climate Change.”

Winners in the ninth to 12th grade category were Rebecca Cruciani from Scranton High School; and Alexandra Tomaine, Kathryn Walsh and Amanda Yanul from Holy Cross High School. Gavin Ross from Abington Heights Middle School, won for the eighth-grade category. Josephine Krokus from the Howard Gardner MI Charter School won for the seventh-grade category. Lola Pulatova from the Bay Academy in Brooklyn, New York, won a medal for the sixth-grade category. In addition, Molly O’Bolye received a special medal for submissions received for grades 3 and 4 from a class from the Howard Gardner MI Charter School taught by Megan Wolfe.

The Evening of Environmental Science featured interactive, hands-on activities for students and demonstrations run by University students, as well as a display of essays submitted for the contest.

The event was hosted by the University’s student Sustainability Club. 

University of Scranton students spoke about the Evening of Environmental Science on WBRE-TV’s early morning news program with reporter Lauren Hensley on April 18.

The event was one of nearly a dozen events organized by the University’s Office of Sustainability in April to celebrate Earth Day.

Information about next year’s essay contest will be posted to the University’s Sustainability webpage in January 2019.

The University of Scranton’s Sustainability Office hosted several Earth Day events for the public during the month of April, including an Earth Day Fair, Environmental Art Show and An Evening of Environmental Science.

Three Holy Cross High School students won awards at this year’s University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest. From left: Janine Wetter, Holy Cross English chairperson; essay contest winners in the ninth to 12th grade category Kathryn Walsh, Amanda Yanul and Alexandra Tomaine; and Ben Tolerico, principal of Holy Cross High School.

Back to Top