LPS students help sustainability summit thrive with new ideas

April 20, 2026

Lincoln Public Schools students planted seeds of sustainability this spring when they helped an environmental summit grow in both scope and popularity.
 
Community members from across Lincoln attended the fourth annual Students of Sustainability Summit at the Science Focus Program’s campus. The 2026 event marked the first time that a Student Advisory Committee (SAC) provided input before the summit. The 11-person group assisted LPS Sustainability leaders in selecting breakout session topics and spreading knowledge about the conference to classmates.
 
Science Focus Program student Judie said it was fun to play a key role in the organizational process. She said the SAC meetings gave her a greater sense of ownership of the summit and helped her meet new friends.
 
“Something I enjoyed about being on the Student Advisory Committee was having the opportunity to pour my heart and soul into something that I’m passionate about,” Judie said. “Conservation has always been something that’s interested me and been important to me, and so finding other people who felt the same way was such an amazing feeling and experience. I was able to really focus on helping decide what kind of topics and breakout sessions we wanted to have.”

 
LPS Sustainability Coordinator Brittney Wees said she was pleased with the feedback SAC members offered. Isabella, Jayden, Skylar, Zain, Arrow, Judie, Ashton, Clio, Darryl, Ella and Jihye applied to be on the inaugural committee.
 
“It was so valuable having the input of students this year through the Student Advisory Committee,” Wees said. “This was something new we did for the event planning process, and we know it contributed to this year’s event being so successful. It was really beneficial to hear directly from students what topics they were interested in learning more about and getting their help sharing the opportunity with their peers.”
 
A Student Sustainability Showcase was one of the new components of the 2026 summit. Many LPS students presented projects about a wide range of scientific and environmental topics. Local clubs and organizations also provided information about their efforts to promote sustainability in Lincoln.
 
Southwest High School sophomore Ella spoke with visitors about her involvement in the school’s Hive Helpers program. Ella is the club’s outreach manager and arranged Southwest’s vegetable garden this year. She also coordinated a group of volunteers who dug new homes for native plants in a pollinator garden.
 
Ella said the summit gave her fresh ideas about increasing the number of future Hive Helpers activities.
 
“It was fascinating to hear about other students’ experiences in testifying and promoting the environment through activism,” Ella said. “It is definitely something I really want to work towards for Hive Helpers in the coming years. It was a unique perspective in helping the environment, which I had not given much initial thought. Now, I feel as though I understand it much more and how to actually go about doing it thanks to the summit.”
 
Local experts led breakout sessions on solar energy, tree planting, youth leadership opportunities and gardening with native plant species. Wees, Southeast High School student Elise and Lincoln Board of Education member Piyush Srivastav also provided opening remarks. Wees described new sustainability initiatives happening at LPS, and Srivastav spoke about his role as founder and president of Nebraska Air Quality Specialties.

 
Elise thanked fellow attendees for being at the summit. She said it provided an important lesson about the power a community of people can have.
 
“The important thing, and the reason why it’s essential for all of us to be here today, is that people will listen,” Elise said. “Your voice is absolutely necessary, and it’s crucial for every single person here. Of course, it’s not one individual’s sole job to change the environment, the climate, policy or even someone’s opinion, but having a community like this that you can turn to and help out is extremely beneficial, and that’s why it’s amazing that we’re all here today.”
 
That message resonated with Judie throughout the afternoon and early evening. She said it was encouraging to talk with people from many high schools, focus programs and clubs.
 
“I feel as though something I learned from attending this year’s S.O.S. Summit is the sheer amount of people who would be a part of and/or interested in the world of conservation, if they aren’t already,” Judie said. “I didn’t know there were so many students and organizations in my community who focused on conservation just within Lincoln itself. It has definitely helped to connect me with these people, who I know I can work with, whether that be now still in high school or in the future after I’ve graduated and am in college or working.”

Wees said student involvement would be a key element of future summits. She was happy to watch their suggestions sprout into a forest full of educational lessons.
 
“This was our most successful S.O.S. Summit to date!” Wees said. “We had a great turnout from both students and community partners, and the level of engagement from everyone was fantastic. It was really great to see so many of our students coming together with an interest in taking local action to protect the environment.”
 
Learn more about LPS Sustainability’s efforts to teach students about scientific and environmental topics.
 
Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

---