On May 8, the Newton North Youth Energizer Team earned second place in the statewide MassEnergize Youth Climate Solutions Challenge, receiving a $2,000 award for its project to motivate at least 100 Newton households to complete Mass Save Home Energy Assessments. The team focused on peer outreach, workshops, and neighborhood engagement, and MassEnergize praised the Newton team for its “creativity, strong community outreach, and measurable impact.”
After a few months of work (January-April, 2026), the team presented its portfolio at the inaugural MassEnergize Youth Climate Solutions Challenge Awards Night on May 8 at the Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University.
The nonprofit MassEnergize created the competition to challenge “high-school students to design and lead real-world clean energy outreach campaigns in their communities.”
The Newton North Youth Energizer Team consists of eight students: Theo Evangelinos, Leyla Gustin, Ella Hamel, Nevie Lee, Cindy Qiao, Alicia Qiu, Kendall Swint, and Madeline Rhine. Newton North faculty advisers are Kathryn Tessier du Cros and Denise Cremin.
The team collaborated closely with Green Newton, and Green Newton president emerita Marcia Cooper also advised the team.
“Building connections with Green Newton and other local organizations was incredibly valuable in terms of allowing us to create change sustainably,” said team member Alicia Qiu. “In addition, working as a team we realized that ambitious projects can actually come to life.”
Green Newton’s Marcia Cooper expressed admiration for the initiative and resilience of the Newton North team. She said, “It was rewarding to see how the team became adept at informing people about available rebates and incentives offered in the No-cost Mass Save Home Energy Assessment Program. Their project helped to motivate many homeowners in our community to schedule assessments with trained Mass Save technicians, to benefit from cost savings and increased comfort after adding insulation where needed in homes.”
A member of the MassEnergize judging panel said, “This project was excellently executed. The students clearly learned a lot along the way while providing real value to their community — an educational success by any measure! The experience (and grit) the Newton Youth Energizers gained in trying to get community residents to do something will be valuable the rest of their lives.”
MassEnergize intends to continue the Challenge next year and “grow the program into a lasting statewide model for youth-led climate action and leadership development.”
