Students at Clark Magnet High School were announced as one of eight final winners in the Lexus Eco Challenge. The Riptides from La Crescenta won $15,000 in the Eco Challenge’s “Final Challenge.” The money will be distributed with $3,000 for the school, $2,000 for the teacher advisor and $10,000 in scholarships for the students. Student projects from Clark Magnet High School have been recognized in the Lexus Eco Challenge 10 times since 2007.

Led by teacher-advisor Dominique Evans-Bye, the team explored DNA sequences with researchers at Coastal Marine Biolabs and partnered with an environmental group to grow seeds to create native plant gardens in other National Parks. For the purpose of supporting reforestation efforts, the Riptides’ native plant garden made a strong first step in 2013’s Lexus Eco Challenge (it will conserve 336 gallons of water per week). The Riptides previously won $10,000 in an earlier round of the challenge, qualifying them for this final challenge round of competition.

A total of $500,000 in scholarships and grants was awarded to teens, teachers and schools.

Since the program was created, the Lexus Eco Challenge has awarded $4.5 million in scholarships and grants to empower middle and high school students to learn about the environment and take action to improve it.