Plainfield, NJ — June 15th, 2025 — Barack Obama Green Charter Schools proudly showcased the creativity, ingenuity, and hands-on learning of its middle and high school students with their 2025 Project-Based Learning (PBL) exhibition.

Mapping PBL projects at Barack Obama Green Charter Schools allows students to develop academic, critical thinking, and design skills through immersive, interdisciplinary projects. Each grade engaged with a unique theme  to represent sustainability, community improvement, and innovation:

• 6th Grade Focus: Students engineered custom-designed vehicles using elements of physics while tackling the challenge of mobility in creative and resourceful ways.
• 7th Grade Focus: With a focus on renewable energy, students built functioning wind pumps to explore water management and wind power systems. The projects reflect global awareness and responsibility.
• 8th Grade Focus: Grade 8 students culminated their project-based learning by building roller coaster models that showcased their understanding of physics, design, and storytelling. Earlier in the year, students attended Physics Day and read Full Tilt"—a novel about a teenager who must survive a surreal amusement park to save his brother, connecting literature to science through the theme of theme park engineering. They researched the history and evolution of roller coasters, then applied their learning to design, build, and document their creative models. The unit concluded with students presenting their work to 6th and 7th grade, sharing both their process and final designs.
• 9th Grade Focus: This project addressed the pressing issue of food insecurity in Plainfield, a community recognized as a food desert. Students explored root causes and developed proposals for local government officials and grocery corporations, advocating for food pantries stocked with non-perishable goods and fresh foods typically discarded by retailers.

Using carpentry and design, 9th-grade students constructed small, stand-alone food pantries—functional, weather-resistant structures designed to provide free access to food throughout the community. Inspired by creative design principles, each pantry reflected the student’s vision for how form and function can intersect to serve a greater purpose. These student-built pantries were not only practical but also served as visible symbols of community care and youth-driven impact.

• 10th Grade Focus: The 10th-grade PBL (Project-Based Learning) project focused on Universal Healthcare, challenging students to research the topic in depth and create a public service announcement (PSA) to inform their audience about its importance, benefits, and challenges. Students explored various healthcare models, analyzed disparities in access and outcomes, and considered the ethical, economic, and political implications of universal coverage. The final product aimed to raise awareness and encourage informed dialogue around equitable healthcare solutions.
• 11th Grade Focus: Students explored the concept of ecoPods—compact, modular structures designed to support access to fresh food in urban communities. Students designed and built detailed models of their ecoPods, each reflecting thoughtful consideration of sustainability, functionality, and community impact. The project culminated in a public exhibition where students presented their designs, showcasing their creativity, problem-solving skills, and commitment to addressing food insecurity through innovative, student-driven solutions.

As a Green School, students at Barack Obama Green Charter School are committed to sustainability, innovation, and community impact. The projects were successfully led by grade-level team teachers at the direction of Dr. Yasmin Griffin and Department Chairs, Ms. Cathy Ramirez and Mrs. Nicole Souza.

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