Members of Maria Regina High School’s Environmental Issues Clug and their science instructor, Mrs. Elizabeth Caban, gather by the award-winning sunflowers the students cultivated.
Starting with Planting Seeds, Students Cultivated and Tracked Growth, Culminating with Breathtaking Seven-Foot-High Sunflowers in School’s Garden
Members of Maria Regina High School’s Environmental Issues Club were honored recently by United GreenCore for winning first place in the 2026 Native Plant Olympics II Sunflower Competition. The students and their science instructor were feted at a ceremony held at the Greenburgh Library.
The environment-focused students—Sophia Fernandes, Greenburgh; Halo Medina and Layla Arenas, Bronx; and Megan Cousins, Dania George, Juliana Celestino and Vida Magalhaes, Yonkers—began the project last June by prepping the ground and planting in the garden of the renowned all-female Catholic high school sunflower seeds provided by United GreenCore.
Under the direction of their instructor, Mrs. Elizabeth Caban, they cultivated and tracked the growth of the flowers that flourished into a stunning sunflower array, the bright yellow flowers reaching a height of seven feet. Along the way, the students learned how sunflowers, a beacon for pollinators—bees, butterflies and birds—make a significant contribution to biodiversity and environmental health
Maria Regina was among six area high school garden clubs and a youth organization that competed in the Olympic sponsored by United GreenCore, a youth-led environmental nonprofit focused on pollinator education, native plants, habitat restoration, food security, and hands-on community projects.
Principal Maria Carozza-McCaffrey (Class of ’99) congratulated the students in winning the distinguished award, noting that it “spoke worlds about their tireless commitment to the environment and spirit of creativity, leadership, and collaboration that are the hallmarks of a Maria Regina High School education.”