The National Wildlife Federation, the U.S. host of the international Young Reporters for the Environment program, recently announced that students from J.E.B. Stuart High School took top places in this year’s Young Reporters for the Environment USA competition.

In the high school photo category, first place went to “Invasive Species in Lake Barcroft” by Kristine Tran, Adam Starr, Gabriella DiPetto, Pranav Panta, Abdelrahman Ibrahim, Jonathan Nguyen, and Theodore Lebryk. In the high school writing category, second place went to “Pink, Pernicious and Polystyrene” by Tan Bui, Haley Grant, Elizabeth Kingsley, Aria Nawab , Isabel Snee, and Fabio Vera.

Students who participate in the program investigate a local environmental problem or issue, and propose solutions. They document their work and report on it through a journalistic production targeting a local audience. These journalistic efforts can be through the creation of an article, a photograph, a photographic essay, or a video which is then shared with a local audience through a variety of media.