Only school in the Montclair Public School District to be Certified
Charles H. Bullock School was awarded Bronze Certification from Sustainable Jersey for Schools, having met the rigorous requirements to achieve the status. Bullock joins a group of 176 schools that earned Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification in 2025, a program that recognizes leaders in sustainability who also provide exceptional learning opportunities for students while modeling best practices for districts statewide. Bullock, the only school in the Montclair Public School district to be certified this year, was honored at the 2025 Sustainable Jersey for Schools Awards Ceremony held during the New Jersey School Boards Association Workshop on Tuesday, October 21 at the Atlantic City Convention Center. Accepting the award was Principal Nami Kuwabara and Environmental Science Teacher Jennifer Woschinko.
Photo caption: From left: Randall Solomon, Executive Director, Sustainable Jersey, Environmental Science Teacher Jennifer Woschinko, Principal Nami Kuwabara and Caroline Ehrlich, Board President, Sustainable Jersey.
The voluntary certification program, celebrating its 10th anniversary, provides a roadmap for pre-kindergarten through twelfth-grade schools to implement sustainability best practices. Schools earn points for completing a balanced portfolio of actions, with 150 points required for bronze certification (CHB earned 225 points) and 350 points for the more advanced silver level. Each school that is certified must submit documentation to show it has completed a balance of the program’s sustainability actions. Certified schools excelled in areas such as improving energy efficiency and health and wellness, integrating sustainability into student learning and reducing waste.
At CHB, students and staff conducted a detailed waste audit, learning where the school produces the most waste, integrated environmental science lessons across all classrooms to connect learning with action and built a vibrant native plant garden, creating a habitat for local wildlife and a hands-on learning space for students to explore nature.
“In the program’s first year, CHB was one of the first schools in the state to earn Bronze Certification and I am so proud to be recertified during the program’s 10-year anniversary” said Principal Nami Kuwabara. “As the district’s Environmental Science magnet school, it is especially gratifying to receive this honor as it underscores our commitment to integrating sustainability instruction and practices into our daily lives.”
“Across the nation, many school systems are still searching for ways to meet sustainability commitments. In New Jersey, however, schools are showing what real progress looks like,” said Randall Solomon, executive director of Sustainable Jersey. “With more than two-thirds of districts engaged and hundreds of schools certified, we’re seeing real momentum. What makes this achievement powerful is that it comes from the ground up—teachers, students, administrators, and parents working together to build healthier, more resilient schools. Certification through Sustainable Jersey for Schools reflects that shared leadership and vision.”
About Sustainable Jersey for Schools
Sustainable Jersey for Schools is celebrating a decade of advancing sustainability in New Jersey’s public schools. Today, 67% of New Jersey public school districts and 1,223 schools are participating. The program equips schools with essential tools, training and financial incentives to support and recognize their sustainability efforts. To date, Sustainable Jersey for Schools has awarded over $3.6 million in grants.