Hudson Montessori Launches Youth Climate Institute Chapter: Join Today!

Hudson Montessori School has officially launched a Youth Climate Institute (YCI) chapter, welcoming alumni high schoolers and other high school students across Jersey City, Hudson County, and surrounding communities who want to preserve a healthy ecosystem. This Youth Climate chapter of high school students joins the Hudson Montessori School Eco Club to champion environmental leadership, empowering students as changemakers and advocates for a more sustainable future. Our school's nationally certified STEAM educators guide the chapter.

The Youth Climate Institute is a national youth climate leadership and certification program operated by Youth Climate Leader, a nonprofit organization. Through climate education, leadership development, and hands-on environmental projects, The Youth Climate Institute helps high school students gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make a meaningful difference in their communities.

Hudson Montessori is proud to be an official chapter and recently received our official chapter banner, marking an exciting milestone for our school and the young environmental leaders who will help shape this new program.

To earn this designation, our school participated in meetings and chapter leader training. As an official chapter, we can recruit and support high school students as they work toward national climate certification.

Caring for the environment has long been part of how our students learn at Hudson Montessori. From studying the Hudson River and its ecosystems to participating in hands-on scientific research, our students are encouraged to look closely at the world around them and consider how they can help protect it. Our Eco Club’s Youth Climate chapter builds on these experiences, giving high school students an opportunity to continue learning, collaborate with their peers, and take a more active role in their communities.

We're also excited to build on our existing connections with local high schools, including McNair Academic High School, Saint Peter's Prep, Saint Dominic Academy, High Tech High School, and The Franklin School. As our chapter grows, we look forward to developing relationships with even more schools and youth organizations.

Who Can Join?

Our chapter is open to Hudson Montessori alumni currently in high school, as well as other local and regional high school students who are interested in climate change, sustainability, environmental justice, and making a positive difference in their communities. Students do not need to attend Hudson Montessori or any particular high school to participate!

In the Eco Club, students will have opportunities to collaborate on environmental projects, participate in community science initiatives, explore solutions to environmental challenges, and connect with others who share their interests. They'll also have the opportunity to work toward national climate certification through the Youth Climate Institute.

While we're still finalizing our regular meeting schedule for the school year, meetings will primarily take place virtually. We'll schedule additional after-school gatherings, community environmental projects, and events as opportunities arise.

How to Join Our Chapter

Interested in joining the Hudson Montessori School Eco Club? We'd love to hear from you! Students can get started by completing the student application.

For questions or more information about joining our chapter, please contact Dr. Grace Sanvictores, Hudson Montessori's Middle School Director and STEAM Program Co-Director, at gsanvictores@hudsonmontessori.net.

Mentoring the Changemakers of Tomorrow

We're looking forward to fostering fresh ideas, friendships, and projects that grow from this new chapter. More than anything, we hope to create a welcoming space where young people can explore their interests, develop their leadership skills, and discover what they can accomplish when they work together.

We're thrilled to take this next step in our commitment to environmental education and can't wait to see what our young climate leaders do next!

Hudson Montessori School, located in downtown Jersey City, serves children from 18 months through 8th grade. Our teachers use an interdisciplinary, theme-based learning approach grounded in Montessori philosophy and methodology to foster students' love of learning. Our nationally certified STEM campus is the only one of its kind in New Jersey, with STEM-certified teachers who meet the National Institute for STEM Education's highest standards. We welcome parents to attend an open house to learn more about our programs.