With themes such as teamwork and protecting the environment, the trees at the fifth annual Snowflake Awards, held at Liberty House Restaurant in Jersey City, were decorated by more than 300 students in grades 1 through 5. Principals from sixteen Jersey City-area schools chose a class to participate in the awards, and each group decorated its tree to reflect a theme.
Celebrity judges, including Chris Cimino of WNBC, Miss NJ USA Kaity Rodriguez, Miss Teen New Jersey Alexa Brunetti, James Gregorio of News 12 NJ, and Goran Vasic and Nebo Stamenkovic of the NJ Ironmen, were on hand to chose the top trees. (For photos of the festival-like event, check out our Social Datebook slideshow.)
The winning creation came from third graders at Jersey City P.S. 23, where the 19 students decorated with a "Holiday Rainforest" theme encouraging people to make environmental choices. Those students, along with the fifth graders at P.S. 16 who came in second place ("It Takes Teamwork to Make the Dream Work") and the second graders at P.S. 5 who came in third ("Support Our Troops"), earned a money for their school’s art departments.
Not only that, but they all sent some pretty great messages in the process.