Throughout the winter, students at the Ethel A. Jacobsen Elementary School in Surf City collected household plastic items for a special project, spearheaded by first-grade teacher Sarah Esarey, that combined STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and SEL (Social Emotional Learning) – and delivered an exciting result.

For months the youngsters brought in used number 2, 4 and 5 plastics from home, for a total of 267 pounds of plastic bottle caps, containers and bags.