Students from 11 School Districts Win PSEG Long Island’s Fifth Annual Energy Conservation PSA Contest

Some of the 30 student finalists of PSEG Long Island’s fifth annual I Am Em-Powered Energy Conservation Video Public Service Announcement (PSA) Contest as they await the winners’ announcement.

PSEG Long Island has announced the student winners of its fifth annual I Am Em-Powered Energy Conservation Video Public Service Announcement (PSA) Contest. The top 10 award-winning PSAs were revealed on June 17 at a ceremony at the Long Island Children’s Museum (LICM) where the videos of the top 30 finalists are on display through the end of July.

Twenty-five students in fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh grade, along with 10 high school students, were crowned winners. In addition to certificates honoring their achievements, the winning students and their teachers received Amazon gift cards. Students received tickets to the LICM. Teachers also received additional funds to hold a class party to celebrate their star scholars.  

More than 3,500 students in nearly 60 schools across Long Island and the Rockaways engaged in I Am Em-Powered’s eco-friendly coursework. The lessons addressed conserving energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and the benefits of renewable energy options – concepts they put into action in their video PSAs.

In the 4-8 grade category, 82 teachers in 29 school districts participated; teachers were invited to enter three PSAs per class to the contest – 208 videos were submitted for judging. The high school program, which was a smaller cohort, included 347 students who participated in the coursework. In the high school category, three winning videos were chosen.

Along with the announcement ceremony, the finalists in the 4-8 grade group were honored at a reception at the LICM to celebrate their achievements. More than 250 people, including more than 50 students, their teachers and families attended the event to honor the young environmentalists and view the gallery of their works.

“We are so proud of these young students who created PSAs to educate others on concepts of clean energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and conserving energy,” said Michael Voltz, PSEG Long Island’s director of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, who co-hosted the event. “It was great to share in these kids’ special moment and to meet and thank the teachers who implemented the coursework with them.”

“It was an honor to meet these young conservation advocates and watch their creative videos with them in person,” said Michael Presti, PSEG Long Island’s director of Customer Experience and Marketing, who also co-hosted the event. “It was wonderful to have their parents and teachers join us as we unveiled the students’ work in the Long Island Children’s Museum.” 

Sponsored by PSEG Long Island, the I Am Em-Powered program is provided free to students in the company’s service area – Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaways. The STEM-related coursework was created by educational consultants, D. Barrett Associates and provides lessons on energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy in alignment with current educational standards on these topics. Videos entered into the contest by the teachers were judged according to a strict grading rubric.

Along with the I Am Em-Powered video gallery, also on display at LICM are posters created by first through fourth graders who completed PSEG Long Island’s Safety Sleuth program. The posters depict situations and offer tips on how to be safe around electricity in and outside the home. More than 2,100 in 19 school districts participated in this educational program.

PSEG Long Island provides educational resources through its robust Community Partnership Program, which includes educational programs for children of all ages at schools, after-school and camp programs. Tens of thousands of young learners have been educated on energy conservation, electric safety and situational awareness through these programs.

Program and contest by the numbers

• 3,353   4^th – 8^th grade students participated
• 347      HS students participated
• 94        teachers
  • (82 4^th – 8^th grade teachers, 12 HS teachers)
• 46        elementary and middle schools
• 11        high schools
• 40        school districts in Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaways
• 208      PSA videos submitted (4^th – 8^th grade)

Here is a complete list of the winners:

PSEG Long Island

PSEG Long Island operates the Long Island Power Authority’s transmission and distribution system under a long-term contract. PSEG Long Island is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a publicly traded diversified energy company.