Dominican Sisters of Caldwell and Mount Saint Dominic Academy Students Recognized for Sustainability Efforts

Pictured above: Caldwell Councilman Kris Brown, Caldwell Mayor Ann Dassing, Sister Jeanne Goyette, O.P., and Mrs. Ann Marchioni, head of the Caldwell Environmental Commission.
Pictured above: Caldwell Councilman Kris Brown, Caldwell Mayor Ann Dassing, Sister Jeanne Goyette, O.P., and Mrs. Ann Marchioni, head of the Caldwell Environmental Commission.

The Sisters of St. Dominic of Caldwell were awarded first prize in the adult category of the Caldwell Environmental Commission’s “Partners for the Planet” contest. Sr. Jeanne Goyette accepted the award at the May 3rd Town Council meeting in the name of the Congregation and gave an explanation of the sisters’ efforts to be eco-friendly at Sacred Heart Convent. “We tried to make it as sustainable as possible, within our financial budget,” Sr. Jeanne said, adding that the convent has items such as solar panels, rainwater collection, a garden, a green roof, a monitoring system for the solar panels, a beehive, and an electric car outlet. The $50 prize money will be used for garden expenses.

Pictured above: Mrs. Ann Marchioni, head of the Caldwell Environmental Commission, Councilman Kris Brown, Natalie Hall MSDA ’17, Mrs. Ilse De Paolo, Catherine Morrissey MSDA ’17, Caldwell Mayor Ann Dassing.
Pictured above: Mrs. Ann Marchioni, head of the Caldwell Environmental Commission, Councilman Kris Brown, Natalie Hall MSDA ’17, Mrs. Ilse De Paolo, Catherine Morrissey MSDA ’17, Caldwell Mayor Ann Dassing.

Mount St. Dominic Academy, a sponsored work of the Caldwell Dominicans, also received an award for their Earth Day activities. Mrs. Ilse De Paolo’s Ecology/Environmental Studies class and Environmental Club were named winners in the high school division. One activity was a “fill out a leaf” fundraiser. The $150 collected was donated to a project of the Sisters of St. Dominic, which includes constructing wells in Haiti to provide clean water for drinking and crop irrigation in a country still reeling from the effects of the devastating earthquake of 2010. Realizing the crucial importance of clean water to the health and recovery of the citizens of Haiti, the girls agreed to also donate their $50 prize money to that very worthy cause.