As Caring for the Kenai stepped into its twenty eighth year, Nikiski High School junior Carlee Rizzo took first place honors and a $1,600 cash award in the annual environmental and natural disaster preparedness contest Thursday Night at Kenai Central High School.
Rizzo created an interactive presentation and video game to teach elementary school children that “it’s not too late to save the environment.”
Rizzo: “It’s a card game, so if they draw a card with a good consequence then that removes something bad from the environment. If they get a card with a bad action to the environment the blackness gets put back on showing that pollution is coming back”
In her essay submission, Carlee wrote, “Teaching children that they can counteract others’ bad choices is essential if we are going to save the earth. We need to educate the youth if we hope to build a better world and video games can help to do that.
As part of her project, Rizzo took her game into the classroom.
Rizzo: “If you have to ask any kid what they want to do, that will probably say play a game and they responding really well. Throughout the entire time that i was there i was using cards and half way through i didn’t need the cards anymore, because the kids were coming up with their own solutions”
Taking second place and earning $1,100 was Soldotna Prep freshman Erika Arthur with a self-watering lettuce tower, intended to be installed in Kenai Peninsula school kitchens. “It will be inexpensive, easy to build, and students will be able to have fresh lettuce for their salad instead of chemically treated imported lettuce.
In addition to the $8,000 in cash awards for the finalists, this year $20,000 will be awarded to the schools science departments.
Saturday, April 28th finalists, teachers and guests will attend the CFK V.I.P Awards banquet at the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska.
