This month, a group of 9th grade students from Brea Olinda High School (BOHS) made their school and community proud by taking home the championship title at the Sustain OC environmental competition, hosted at the Epson headquarters in Los Alamitos. Under the dedicated guidance of Honors Biology teacher Shelley Weiseth, the freshman students demonstrated not only scientific rigor but also a deep commitment to sustainability, innovation, and civic impact.
The journey began in the classroom, where students were grouped in teams of three and tasked with completing a comprehensive campus audit of BOHS. This audit was no small feat — students conducted on-site observations, distributed surveys, collected and analyzed various data points, and even coordinated with multiple supervisors and district officials. Their goal was clear: identify how BOHS contributes to environmental challenges such as air pollution, water and plastic waste, energy inefficiency, and even impacts on student health.
Armed with their findings, students dove into the next phase — crafting creative, data-backed solutions to mitigate these environmental issues. From innovative energy-saving strategies to water and waste reduction initiatives, their proposals weren’t just science projects — they were actionable plans with the potential to save the district thousands of dollars while improving sustainability.
BOHS Freshman, Faith George and her teammates produced a project centered around the impacts of plastic waste at BOHS. “From walking around school and looking at the recycling bins and trash, I have begun to realize just how much our school contributes to plastic waste,” Faith said. “Only once we started this project did I realize that plastic doesn't just infiltrate our ecosystems, it has begun to infiltrate our bodies, too. I realized that we are the source of our downfall because we are throwing away the plastic that goes straight back to us once it infiltrates our ecosystem.”
Morgan Kim conducted her research on water conservation at BOHS. She said that during the planning stages of the project, she quickly realized that in order to get the support of our district, team members had to come up with solutions to cut costs and be financially advantageous. “I decided to assist our school district, who struggle with limited water resources, to lower our water bill by $3,000-4,600 per year. Incorporating these components into my project helped to set me apart from our competitors at the Sustain OC competition.”
Each team compiled their research into an extensive scientific report. After receiving detailed feedback from Mrs. Weiseth, students revised and refined their reports before converting them into polished presentations. These were then shared in class, where the top three groups were selected to represent BOHS at the district-level competition.
When competing at the next level, BOHS freshmen competed against older students — juniors and seniors enrolled in AP Environmental Science and AP Biology — from three other high schools: Laguna Beach High School, J Serra High School, and University High School. Despite the age and academic level gap, the BOHS students impressed judges with their professionalism, scientific depth, and passion.
Their hard work paid off. BOHS was named the winner of the competition, and with that, all participating students are now eligible for a summer internship with Sustain OC. This recognition not only celebrates the students’ dedication and intellect but also serves as a powerful reminder that young voices can drive meaningful change.
The students who competed and will be offered internships include: Cara Lam, Faith George, Apple Crespo, Blakeley Quallys, Atticus Leung, Joy Marino, Quyen Anderson, Mateo Wada, Caden Lee and Morgan Kim.
“We’re incredibly proud of our students,” said Mrs. Weiseth. “As the district reviews the winning proposals, there is great hope that some of these ideas will be implemented.”