Students Win $75,000 and National Recognition for Environmental Action

TORRANCE, CA, Apr 17 (MARKET WIRE) --
Student teams in Jersey City, NJ, and Honolulu, Hawaii, will be celebrating
this Earth Day. Not only have they done their part to protect the planet,
they've also emerged as the two $75,000 grand-prize winners in the Lexus
Environmental Challenge, a national competition designed by Lexus and
Scholastic to educate and empower teens to think big about possible solutions
that could make a positive impact on the environment. Fourteen first-place
teams also won $50,000 each. In all, more than $1 million in grants and
scholarships have been awarded throughout the seven-month-long environmental
educationprogram and contest.

"When we introduced this challenge, we really had no idea what kind of
programs the students would dream up," said Mark Templin, Lexus group vice
president and general manager. "Well, now we know they're not afraid to
dream big, and act on those dreams. We were amazed at all the teams' innovative
ideas, their ingenuity and their pure passion for the topics they chose to
address. It's exciting to see these young people discover their voices and
learn
they have the power to make a difference."

Both winning entries demonstrate how a small group can make a big impact.
"The
Climate Academy" team, made of five 6th graders from Academy I Middle School in
Jersey City, created a campaign called: "Clean Cities Make Clean Oceans."
Their program included educating all students in Jersey City public schools
about the impact of litter and pollution on the ocean. They also raised
awareness by stenciling the words "Dump No Waste: Drains to Ocean" on storm
drains near schools throughout the city. "The Dream Team" from W.R. Farrington
High School in Honolulu focused on educating people around the world about the
benefits of renewable energy sources such as wind turbines, solar panels,
fuel cells, and hydropower. The team, comprised of eight high school students,
created videos, blogs and a Web site in multiple languages and used social
media web sites to help spread the word.

"Winning the Lexus Environmental Challenge renewed exactly that same feeling
I
had when I received the Milken National Educator Award, but even more
heartwarming was the fact that my students were the ones making the big
difference in the world," said Bebi Davis, The Dream Team's teacher advisor.
"These young people hold in their hands the future of the world for the next
generation. I am so proud of their incredible accomplishment."

These two top teams were recognized today in ceremonies at their
respectiveschools. In addition to the scholarship and grant money, each team's
school
will receive a custom-designed sculptural cistern to promote the idea of
water conservation. Made from recycled packing materials, the cisterns, or
rain catchers, were created by Florida's renowned environmental artist Jefre.
This unique award will serve as a reminder of the team's outstanding
accomplishment as well as a sustainable way to collect rain water so it can
be reused for watering plants on the school's campus.

The 16 winners were selected from 55 teams that qualified for this Final
Challenge by winning in one or more of the four previous Challenges that were
held from September to February. These initial Challenges, addressing land,
air,
water and climate, asked teams to take a stand for the environment in their
local community. The Final Challenge required teams to reach beyond the
local community and inspire environmental action around the world through
innovative ideas that were communicated to a wide audience.

The 14 first-place winning teams are:

-- Atlanta, Ga. - "Westminster CCC3" - The Westminster School
-- Baldwin Park, Calif. - "The Ones Who Care" - Sierra Vista High School
-- Bryn Mawr, Penn. - "The Great Gators" - The Shipley School
-- Chicago, Ill - "Earth Warriors" - Madero Middle School
-- Holladay, Utah - "Radon Awareness Group" - Olympus Junior High
-- Holladay, Utah - "Save Our Fresh Water" - Olympus Junior High
-- Holladay, Utah - "The Treehuggers" - Olympus Junior High
-- La Crescenta, Calif. - "Marine Science Researchers" - Clark Magnet
High School
-- Lake Charles, La. - "St. Margaret Science Club" - St. Margaret
Catholic School
-- Newberry, Fla. - "Newberry Environmental Girls" - Newberry High School
-- New Hyde Park, NY - "The Elementals" - Herricks High School
-- New Hyde Park, NY - "Vampire Exterminators" - Herricks High School
-- Torrance, Calif. - "L.I.F.E" - South High School
-- Wilmington, NC - "Team Earth" - Lyceum Academy of New Hanover High
School

The Lexus Environmental Challenge will enter its second year in fall
2008.Teachers and students are encouraged to visit www.scholastic.com/lexus to
view all the winning entries and to learn how they can take part in next
year's program.

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