South Shore Charter Public School in Norwell, Mass., takes home the prize, which includes a brand new hybrid-electric school bus.

After numerous submissions and an online vote to see who should be deemed the most environmentally friendly school in the nation, school bus manufacturer IC Bus awarded South Shore Charter Public School with its second annual "green" prize. The third and fourth grade classes of elementary teacher Ms. Roberts submitted an entry explaining why their school was the "most greenius of all."

"There are many important reasons to be green. One is that our actions affect people we don’t even know! For example, if you leave trash behind at the beach, then everyone else has to live with your litter, including the wildlife," the winning submission stated. "Second, some resources, like the ozone, are not renewable. Last, being green is like being a good citizen – it means that every person does their own small part to make the world a better place...it can’t happen unless everyone gets involved!"

South Shore beat out almost 550 entries from nearly 1,600 students across the nation. The school has won a hybrid school bus from IC Bus, a green audit and approximately $20,000 to use for green improvements. The students themselves will also share a $3,000 scholarship. The students were informed this morning that they won the contest.