Juniors from Cherry Hill High School East and West came up with solutions to two challenges relating to sustainability and Cherry Hill Township’s Road To Our Future.
Each year, high school juniors participating in Cherry Hill Township’s Student Government program try to solve some of the biggest issues facing the township.
This year, however, the participating students tackled a topic no other group had tackled before — Cherry Hill Township’s Roadmap to Our Future.
A few dozen students from Cherry Hill High Schools East and West formed two different groups and put their heads together to solve two issues involving the township’s roadmap and sustainability. Students worked throughout the day at the municipal building on resolutions to present to a mock council later in the evening.
Last spring, Cherry Hill Township unveiled its Roadmap to Our Future, a document detailing how the township can become a more sustainable community in the future in all facets of life.
One of the student government groups was asked to find a solution to an ongoing discussion. Sustainable Cherry Hill is looking to promote ways for residents to take alternate means of transportation to its 2017 Earth Festival, scheduled for April 29 at Croft Farm.
Brenda Jorett, producer for the Earth Festival, spoke with the students about how the organization wants to cut down on vehicular traffic going to the festival to promote the idea of reducing emissions and solve the parking issue at Croft Farm.
During the Student Government Day mock council meeting, a group of students presented the idea of having a family fun bike race and run prior to the festival. The race would start at some of the schools located closest to Croft Farm and end at the farm just prior to the festival.
The proposal also included having shuttles travel from both Cherry Hill high schools and Cooper Elementary School. The shuttles would transport festival patrons from the schools to Croft Farm. Entertainment and food would be provided at shuttle locations, and residents would be encouraged to bike and walk to the shuttle stops.
The mock council unanimously approved the mock resolution, stating it was a workable solution to the Earth Festival’s transportation issue.
“My favorite part of the first plan was probably the shuttle bus idea,” Cherry Hill East junior and Student Government Day Mayor Ben Bliss said. “I’ve seen it work previously with the Maccabi Games two summers ago. It was a great idea. It’s also a way to make new friends when you’re sitting together.”
“It included everyone,” Cherry Hill West junior and Student Government Day Council President Gay Brown said. “It included children, teenagers, families, the elderly, everyone.”
The second Student Government Day group was tasked with finding a way to promote the township’s Roadmap to Our Future to the community. The group proposed the launch of a mobile app named Cherry Hill Go that would offer reward points called cherries to residents for biking, walking or taking public transportation to places around town. Cherries would later be redeemable for prizes.
The app would also serve as a way for the township to promote news and events. Social media, flyers and street banners would be used to promote the app to residents.
The mock council wasn’t as confident in the plan for the app. Though the mock resolution to approve the app passed, three people voted against it, including Bliss and Brown.
Bliss cited the cost of the app’s development, estimated to be about $15,000 to $20,000, as the reason he voted no.
“The app cost a lot more than I thought it would,” Bliss said. “They did mention how they were going to accumulate all the money, but I just wasn’t sure if it was going to be able to happen.”
Brown also had concerns about the cost and the complexity of the rewards program.
“I felt that the money was coming from way too many different places,” Brown said. “The process of selecting a cherry was not clear. On those factors, I said no.”
Mayor Chuck Cahn was impressed with both presentations and felt talking about topics relating to the Roadmap and sustainability will help spread the message in the community.
“Every time we can talk about the subject of the Roadmap, of sustainability, helps,” Cahn said.” This is the perfect forum. They go home and talk about. We talk about it. The more they talk about it, the more we understand it.”
While the resolutions adopted at the mock meeting are not official township legislation, Cahn said township officials listen to the ideas presented and may look into the ideas presented in the future.
“They obviously knew the topics very well, and they learned so much tonight,” he said. “I was very impressed with the way they came all together.”
