WESTWOOD REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT—The Bergen County Canstruction brought together student teams from eight schools this year—and Westwood Regional High School left with the top prize.
The Westwood Regional School District team won Best Overall Build at the third annual competition, held at American Dream Mall, for a fairy tale–inspired structure based on The Princess and the Pea.
The design, constructed from 3,366 cans of food and 90 jars of peanut butter, reimagined the story’s “pea” as a symbol of how even a single contribution can make a difference. Students sourced cans by color—including pink salmon cans to form the princess’s dress—to achieve a precise visual effect.
The project required months of planning and culminated in a late-night build Feb. 26. Students arrived at 7:30 p.m., spending hours unpacking and sorting materials before assembling the structure between 8:15 p.m. and 1:15 a.m.
“With my background in sculpture and my love for charity work, seeing these hardworking students come together was a truly special experience,” said Pamela Duffus, the team’s advisor and an art teacher at the high school. “It was a lesson in time management and problem-solving…watching the students’ vision stand tall made every minute worth it.”
The Bergen County–organized event raised awareness of food insecurity and resulted in a collective donation of approximately 17,000 cans, with about 14,000 distributed directly to local food pantries, according to organizers.
Commissioner Vice Chairwoman Tracy Silna Zur, who presented the team with its award on March 27, praised both the creativity and the mission behind the builds.
“Each of these Canstruction builds represents teamwork, problem-solving, and a shared commitment to helping our neighbors in need,” she said. “Like their design concept…a single can of food can make a big difference for a family.”
Following the March 5 judging, all structures were dismantled and the food distributed immediately to Bergen County pantries.
“This achievement is a testament to the incredible synergy between art, engineering and empathy within our district,” said Superintendent Dr. Patrick McQueeney.
- Build team: Toma Amirbekova, Aria Gill, Jonas Martinez, Mason Pincay, Elizabeth Rogers
- Take-down team: Toma Amirbekova, Sophia DeMarco, Billy Dunn, Brielle Gambardella, Kira Petrov, Youssef Khalil
- Support staff: Henry Chan, Rudy Tresvalles, Michele Keller
The effort was supported by the Bergen County Office of Food Security, with sponsorship from Eastwick College, which covered the cost of the food used in the build.
— Via Lori Perlow