(North Plainfield, NJ) – North Plainfield High School (NPHS) received Donate Life America’s (DLA) prestigious 2024 Excellence in Youth Education Award for its outstanding efforts in raising awareness about the importance of saving and enhancing lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Pictured here with the award are (from left) Sean Dowling, NPHS Athletic Director; Josephine Curcio, NPHS teacher; Ametra Burton, Community Services Manager, NJ Sharing Network; and Joseph Krouse, NPHS Principal (Photo Credit: Courtesy of North Plainfield School District).
NPHS incorporated a “Donate Life Unit” within its 9th Grade Health Education course curriculum. This comprehensive two-week unit reached over 250 students this past year, and it is taught in both English and Spanish to meet the diverse language needs of NPHS’s multicultural student population. The “Donate Life Unit” employs a variety of creative and engaging strategies to ensure that students are not passive learners but active participants in their learning journey. Lessons include passionate group discussions and structured debates about what it means to become an organ and tissue donor. Creative and fun elements, such as poster and t-shirt design contests, also reinforce what students learn and allow them to express their understanding in innovative ways. The unit concludes with a bi-lingual presentation by NJ Sharing Network’s public education team.