06/10/2026
Catching Up with Mr. Capizola: Ventnor Schools Celebrate Earth Day
By Christine D'Alessandro
🌳 When last we left Ventnor science teacher, Michael Capizola, he was continuing to inspire his students as head of the school’s green team. Their work began with a school garden and, more recently, expanded into a partnership with the Surfrider Foundation. Michael organized groups of environmentally minded students in beach clean-ups, and their work has continued.
🌳 “VECC finished Earth Week strong with our wetlands cleanup on Thursday, April 23rd,” Michael shared. “We collected 814.5lbs of trash in just one hour from the wetlands behind Ventnor Plaza.”
🌳During the groups’ monthly cleanups, students tally and weigh the trash they pick up. This allows them and the Surfrider Foundation to advocate for environmental legislation.
🌳 “Locally, we have made some steps towards long-term solutions for the dirtiest spot in Ventnor. At last month’s city Green Team meeting, dune fencing was approved for the border of the wetlands behind Provenza. This fencing will help prevent small trash from blowing into the marsh and deter people from dumping large items (such as tires, shopping carts, and treated wood) back into our natural wetlands.”
🌳Further clean-up was done on the grounds of the school, with students weeding the Ocean Friendly Pollinator Garden, which is designed to reduce harmful runoff and reintroduce native plants and flowers for our local pollinators. Some of the plant species planted there are Coreopsis, Spiderwort, Bee Balm, Common Milkweed, Smooth Blue Aster, and Purple Coneflower. "They are host plants for a variety of insects," Michael explains, "such as many butterfly species, like the Monarch, several varieties of bees, and moths."
🌳While the Earth Day week included removing trash from natural spaces, it also included adding something special to the school grounds—three new redbud trees.
🌳 “Redbuds are native to New Jersey and benefit a wide variety of native pollinator species, such as several types of bees, butterflies, and moths,” Michael explains, adding that Galloway Nursery donated two of the trees. “Redbuds also provide food and shelter for native birds like the Eastern Goldfinch (NJ’s state bird), Chickadees, Orioles, Tufted Titmouse, and many others.”
🌳 Michael also shared that having every student—from kindergarten to 8th grade—join in to help made the effort that much more meaningful.
