AP Environmental Science student Sam Yeh ’20, Assistant Broadcast Editor Yoohan Ko ’20 and Environmental Club member Valentina Gaxiola ’21 represented the school at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Ocean Plastic Pollution Summit from May 10-11.

Keynote speaker Shelby O’Neil, founder of the Jr. Ocean Guardians and the “No Straw November” movements, began the event with a presentation about the impending pollution issue. 

Subsequently, students set up booths to share their own schools’ environmental initiatives with each other.  The school’s stand featured posters, videos and multiple pieces of “art” made with recyclables discarded on campus.

Schools from all over California, including Mission Bay High School, Seaside Elementary School and Channel Islands High School, attended the convention.

Yeh said she admired the extent to which other schools pursued environmentally-friendly changes.

“One school actually went to their head chef and got them to stop buying straws,” Yeh said. “They also switched over from plastic Gatorade and water bottles to aluminum can Gatorade and water containers, which was pretty amazing since I didn’t even know those existed.”