Learning environment: Students land Caring For the Kenai awards
Published 10:30 am Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Local students’ environmental awareness was on full display last week.
The 36th annual Caring For The Kenai awards were handed out to Kenai Peninsula high school students April 23 at Kenai’s Triumvirate North Theater, where Leo Nipp and Noah Flowers of Seward claimed first place and a $2,000 cash award. The pair’s project uses a pheromone to neuter spruce bark beetles.
“We put a lot or research into our idea and I’m glad it paid off,” said Nipp. “We plan to raise funds for the project by selling beetle stuffed plush animals,” added Flowers.
Homer’s Yousef El Daly took home 2nd place and a $1,300 prize for his invention of a new type of fire detector called RAVIN
“It was my fear of fire and the challenge of having to come up with a Caring for the Kenai idea that led me to think of using a high-definition camera connected to a digital brain paired with an AI that would sense the light of a flame rather than the smoke from a fire that has to reach the ceiling before going off. RAVIN senses the light from a real flame, not stove mistake, and sends a warning signal to your cell phone,” said El Daly, who tested the apparatus and said RAVIN sensed the fire in under four seconds while a traditional smoke detector took two minutes and 29 seconds.
Indigo Leslie and Ellie Rodriguez from Seward placed third in the 36th CFK competition with their idea to reuse pet hair to create an absorbent mat that can skim oil sheens in a harbor or driveways caused by motors,
“Absorbent matts are currently made from single-use plastic, yet pet hair is highly absorbent,” said Leslie.
The team, which picked up an $1,100 cash award, has figured out how to make a matt from pet hair and hopes to have it available in the future.
In fourth place and winning $1,000 was Abigail Sorrell from SoHi, who created a board game called Kenai Quest.
“The game is designed for elementary school kids to play in the classroom and learn important things that we all can do to protect our Kenai River. We are all environmental decision makers and kids can be a catalyst for awareness,” said Sorrell.
The Kenai Central High School team of Molli Sansotta and Maci Miller nabbed fifth spot and $850. They plan to help eliminate the invasive plant Elodia from Cresent Lake and demonstrated how this invasive plant is a hitchhiker on float planes.
In sixth place another Homer High student, Dayten Van Ostrand, created a new energy bar product made from seaweed and gave the judges a sample. Her tasty idea won a $750 prize.
In addition to the $10,000 in cash awards for the finalists, this year $20,000 will be divided among the classrooms of the finalists that assigned Caring for the Kenai.
High schools using CFK as part of state standards curriculum this year were: SoHi, KCHS, Homer High and Seward High School. Students can enter every year of their high school career, whether the contest is assigned in class or not. Each school receives $750 for their participation and the remainder of the $20,000 is allocated according to how the school’s students ranked in the CFK oral presentations.
Other finalists that earned $500 each for making it to the final 12 out of all the entries submitted were: Muirenn Langston of Homer High for Pollinator Packs; Hannah Weisser of Homer High for Tire recycling for the Peninsula; Griffyn Berg of Homer High for The Dead Zone; Kylie Beaudion of Homer High for Kenai River Waste Chutes; Cierra Stuyvesant of SoHi for Kenai Beach Recycled Fish Waste; and Lily Teates of KCHS for Buckets for Cigarette Butts
“CFK is an opportunity for Peninsula students to have a real-world experience. The creativity and resiliency of our community and our youth over the years never ceases to amaze me.” said CFK creator Merrill Sikorski.
On Saturday, May 2 the top 12 CFK finalists, their teachers families, friends and the public will gather for the new CFK Awards Celebration at the Triumvirate Theatre in Kenai. The public is invited to attend the hosted event to cheer on and encourage students to implement their ideas. Finalists will receive their cash awards at the event and meet with community leaders and sponsors.
This year’s panel of judges included Clayton Holland, KPBSD superintendent, Bruce Jackman, plant manager MPC Kenai Refinery, Ben Wright, PCHS CEO, Brad Janorschke, HEA general manager, Weston Eiler, Hilcorp Alaska, Greg Stein, Kenai Chamber president and Hannah Leatherman, 2025 CFK first place winner).
