During its meeting on May 5, the DuPage County Stormwater Management Committee presented awards to winning student groups chosen from this year’s 20th annual Sustainable Design Challenge.
A team of three Glenbard East High School students—juniors Lily Daciolas, Yunuen Rangelcisneros, and Olivia Wojdyla won the “Best Energy Efficient Design” award.
The Sustainable Design Challenge is an annual competition put on by SCARCE and other DuPage County affiliated businesses, non-profit groups, and governmental entities that invites students to work collaboratively to take on the role of being architects to design a building that is environmentally friendly. The choice of the type of building is up to the students. There are three categories of awards to recognize outstanding work at the competition—include Best Overall Design, Best Energy Efficient Design, and Best Stormwater Design.
“The Sustainable Design Challenge is a unique experience for the students because it provides them with an opportunity to engage with a real world challenge, work collaboratively to propose a solution to the challenge, and interface with experts from the community who provide feedback on the students' design ideas,” said David Krodel, AP Environmental Science, Horticulture, and Urban Ag teacher at Glenbard East. “In order to excel in this event, students must think critically and creatively, be effective communicators, and make insightful connections when presenting on their proposed design. Students in traditional high school settings do not always have opportunities to showcase their learning, and the Design Challenge presents an engaging way to do this.”
