Regis tration not required.
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About CCAP
\nIn 2022\, Prince G eorge's County and Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) developed a national model to combat climate change for our students' \;and com munities' futures. The \;PGCPS Climate Change Action Plan \;(CCAP) \, developed by 22 diverse climate experts\, is their roadmap for change a nd call to action to empower our students\, staff\, partners\, and adminis tration to work together to transform our future on an economic\, social\, and environmental level.
\nThe PGCPS CCAP recommendations were adop ted by the Board of Education\, and the Superintendent was charged with th e implementation of the eight priority recommendations and supporting acti ons\, sub-recommendations\, implementation timelines\, environmental justi ce and lab or considerations\, financing opportunities\, responsible parti es\, and resources needed. The eight priority areas are: Support Environme ntal Justice Through Climate Curriculum\, Training and Partnerships\; \;Reduce Carbon Footprint from PGCPS Buildings\; Commit to Renewable Energ y Sources for a Net Zero Emissions Future\; Commit to Low Carbon School Tr ansportation\; Reduce Food Waste and Grow Climate-Friendly Food\; Commit t o Sustainable Materials Management and Procurement\; Commit to Climate Res ilient Land Management\; and Lead by Example to Support Transformational C hange
\nThe Climate Change Action Plan Ad Hoc Committee is a resourc e to PGCPS and its efforts to successfully implement the CCAP. The committ ee includes members with diverse expertise and broad experiences across th e eight recommendation areas. The Ad Hoc Committee acts as a force multipl ier for CCAP implementation\, providing guidance\, recommendations\, and r esources to the PGCPS Superintendent\, the Director of Sustainability and Resilience\, and the CCAP Operational Committee\, among other partners.
\nThe Ad Hoc Committee provides an opportunity to engage more stakehol ders in the process and deepens the investment in the success of the CCAP\ , and by extension\, PGCPS and the students we serve. The committee led by PGCPS Board Members\, consists of 10-15 members with expertise from the e ight focus areas\, including students. \;
\n\nAbo ut our guests:
\nMikal Witherspoon is a driven senior at the Academy of Health Sciences (AHS) at Pr ince George&rsquo\;s Community College\, where he is earning an associate degree in Health Sciences. Passionate about environmental sustainability a nd community impact\, he has been involved in the AHS Green Club and the c ountywide Envirothon competition since ninth grade. He currently serves as President of the Prince George&rsquo\;s County Student Environmental Coal ition (PGSEC)\, leading student efforts to plan and organize the annual St udent Environmental Alliance Summit&mdash\;a two-day event that engages st udents in hands-on environmental issues and career exploration. In this ro le\, he has strengthened PGSEC by introducing leadership positions\, a con stitution\, and an organizational structure that encourages greater studen t participation. Beyond PGSEC\, he serves as a student member on the Princ e George&rsquo\;s County Ad Hoc Committee for the Implementation of the Cl imate Action Plan\, helping to bridge youth perspectives with the plan&rsq uo\;s eight priority recommendations. As Chief of Staff for the Prince Geo rge&rsquo\;s Community College Student Governance Association\, he is lead ing a campus-wide Recycling Audit to evaluate and improve sustainability p ractices. He plans to major in Plant Science as an undergraduate and pursu e a career in medicine\, combining his interests in health sciences and th e environment to promote holistic approaches to care.
\nJame s Dubon Garcia is a passionate\, bilingual sophomore participatin g in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Parkdale High School. James has engaged in student leadership ever since he was in elementary s chool believing that if we can empower students to take action\, we can he lp solve any issue. He has exemplified this message by being a student mem ber of the PGCPS Climate Change Action Plan Ad-Hoc Committee on the Board of Education\, participating on the Executive Board of the Prince George&r squo\;s Regional Association of Student Governments (PGRASG) as an elected secretary\, and being a part of the Maryland Association of Student Counc il&rsquo\;s Environmental Affairs Committee. In the future\, James plans t o continue in student advocacy by advocating for his own school community\ , working with the PGCPS Department of Food and Nutrition Services to impr ove school lunch to reduce food waste\, and encourage school composting in Prince George&rsquo\;s County Public Schools. Beyond academics\, James ha s taken interest in the performing arts and computer science having been a lead actor in two Parkdale performances and participating in the National Student Leadership Conference Artificial Intelligence Program at Duke Uni versity. He also plans to work to support impoverished communities and chi ldren living in his home country\, Honduras. Overall\, James is an activis t for the environment and student leader dedicated to bettering his commun ity and people.
\nMaya Gudderra is a sophomore in t he Science and Technology Program at Oxon Hill High School in Prince Georg e&rsquo\;s County\, Maryland\, with a strong interest in Sustainable Agric ulture\, AgBusiness\, and Environmental Economics. She currently serves as the Region 1 Junior MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture\, Natural Resources \, and Related Sciences) Ambassador\, a Maryland State 4-H Council Represe ntative\, and a student member of the Prince George&rsquo\;s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Climate Change Action Plan Ad Hoc Committee of the Board of Education. Maya is one of four youth leaders heading the PGCPS Student Environmental Coalition\, which works to elevate student voices and promot e collaboration between schools and environmental organizations. She is al so a second-year participant in the Burroughs District 8 Student Leadershi p Academy\, an SGA class alternate\, and an active member of both the Envi rothon and GLOBE Club\, where she helps maintain her school&rsquo\;s envir onmentally conscious practices through waste reduction and recycling initi atives. Beyond school\, Maya has been deeply engaged in agricultural educa tion and community service for over a decade. She has assisted annually wi th the Gwynn Park Greenhouse planting\, county-wide clean-up events\, and local FFA/MANRRS chapter activities. Her journey with MANRRS began in 2015 at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore&rsquo\;s Youth Leadership Ins titute\, and she has since continued to grow her leadership and advocacy w ithin the organization. Maya is the recipient of the MANRRS American Farml and Trust Travel Scholarship\, which supported her participation in the Na tional MANRRS Conference in Florida. She earned first place in the 2023 Na tional Junior MANRRS Essay Contest for her piece on crop diversity as a gr and challenge in agriculture and second place in the 2025 National Junior MANRRS Public Speaking Contest with her speech &ldquo\;I Am Because You Ar e.&rdquo\; Rooted in her heritage as a descendant of generational farmers from both the United States and India\, Maya is passionate about sustainab ility\, agricultural innovation\, and youth empowerment in environmental a dvocacy.
\nOlivia Thomas is a freshman in the Scien ce and Technology Program at Charles Herbert Flowers High School in the cl ass of 2029. She is an extremely passionate worker who puts her all into e verything she does\, from school to her personal interests. Olivia current ly serves as a member of the Environmental Outreach Team of the Prince Geo rge&rsquo\;s County Regional Association of Student Governments (PGRASG). She is also a student member of the PGCPS Climate Change Action Plan Ad Ho c Committee. Through her work with the PGCPS CCAP Ad Hoc Committee\, Olivi a and her classmate Noah Agbede were instrumental in getting plastic bags banned from the Kenmoor Middle School breakfast program. This was recogniz ed as progress toward meeting the Climate Change Action Plan Recommendatio n Number Six (Commit to Sustainable Materials Management and Procurement) and Number Eight (Lead by Example to Support Transformational Change). Oli via was a leader in Kenmoor Middle School&rsquo\;s Environmental Topics Cl ub. While in this club\, Olivia and her team created an interactive presen tation to encourage young people and adults throughout Maryland to become People Against Litter (PAL). The Kenmoor students presented at two major 2 025 events: the Student Environmental Alliance Summit at Bowie State Unive rsity and the annual Maryland Green Schools Youth Summit at Sandy Point St ate Park. At their encouragement\, over 1\,000 people signed a pledge to b ecome People Against Litter. Other interests Olivia has include playing in her school&rsquo\;s orchestra\, drawing\, and traveling. Some of her favo rite recent travel destinations are the United Kingdom\, Japan\, and Panam a.
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