The PTA at the Lovell J. Honiss School in Dumont, N.J., believes in offering many family events and in making a strong commitment to caring for the environment. It combined these two passions to create the Kaleidoscope arts and crafts night. With the goal of showing that recycling can be fun, the PTA invited families to create art out of materials that normally would have been thrown away. Posters made by students and parents with facts about recycled products and landfills are displayed; families participate in a trivia scavenger hunt, finding answers to recycling questions on the posters. At the end of the night, prizes are drawn and everyone goes home happy with a new piece of art.

What the judges loved: This group stays true to its mission of enriching the lives of students, researching new ways to keep students engaged, and encouraging parent involvement. And the PTA has been able to bring issues of global significance to the school.

Cool fact: With the help of parents, students have recycled almost 3,000 juice pouches.