Takeaways from the '25-'26 Student Challenges!

By Emily Mallen

SEI’s Earth Day Challenge team is thrilled to celebrate this school year’s student leaders for engaging their campuses in energy conservation! Across Southern California, SEI’s 2025–2026 student challenges empowered students to deepen their understanding of energy conservation and climate issues and take environmental action. Through free instructional curriculum, campaign resources, and dedicated SEI mentorship, students developed vital real-world skills, such as project management, advocacy, and critical thinking, while addressing environmental justice and local community sustainability concerns. ​

Winning campaigns at four schools included tech-free Earth Day events, engaging peer classroom presentations, and poster campaigns. In San Diego in the fall, San Ysidro High School won for using the data from a schoolwide energy audit to create a multi-media campaign, using social media, posters, a website, and a school-wide PSA to educate their community about the impacts of energy use, how to conserve energy, and the positive benefits of energy conservation. In the spring, Three schools won the spring Earth Day Challenge, two in San Diego and one in Los Angeles. Each of these winning campaigns engaged their entire school communities through creative forms of communication including interactive artwork, social media, games, music videos, presentations, and more! Each of these schools won a $1,000 prize, for a total of $4,000 to support sustainability projects at schools across Southern California. Check out the winning campaigns here!
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Beyond campus projects, the challenge provided students with valuable exposure to future clean energy careers through virtual guest speakers and in-person campus visits. During a virtual career panel, three early-career energy professionals from SEI’s Climate Corps program spoke to students at The O’Farrell Charter School. In another engaging event, a former participant in SEI’s Energize Careers program spoke to students at Carpinteria High School about her experience as an electrical apprentice. SEI staff also visited three schools in San Diego, connecting with students in-person, engaging them in hands-on activities and helping them brainstorm what their own green career could look like. 

Across the challenges, 72% of surveyed students reported an improved understanding of climate and energy topics, while 67% felt empowered to change their personal behaviors and advocate for environmental protection. One student shared that they “honestly feel like this class has created a new passion for [them] and has encouraged [them] to step towards a career that can help [their] community's environment.” Another shared that “it was very exciting to see our vision come to life and see people outside of our class, people in the halls, upper and underclassmen, interacting with what we made.”

​Our team was thrilled to see students becoming increasingly excited and empowered to make change, and encouraged by their ability to activate their campuses far beyond those participating in the challenge directly.

​Interested in implementing the challenges in your classroom? Challenge materials are still available to use! Request access to the challenge, and other SEI curriculum, here! ​​