Elysian Charter School In Hoboken Wins Viral Video Contest, $5,000

HOBOKEN (CBSNewYork) - Elysian Charter School is $5,000 richer.

The school - which is known as "ECS" - won New Jersey Charter School Association's "I Love My Charter School" video contest.

The students were up against 14 other charter schools in New Jersey.

"We were so excited when we won, because we worked so hard on this video," 9-year-old Stella Borelli told CBS 2's Cindy Hsu.

Everyone got involved, coming up with what they love about ECS. It's an unusually homey school, with only 16 students per class. They are no desks, only tables and couches. The school has unique programs that bring students together. For example, each kindergatener has an 8th grade buddy.

"Every week or so we hang out with them either, like, going to the park over here or reading in their classroom," explained 13-year-old Avery Olah-Reiken.

"They can teach you other stuff because they're older than you," said 5-year-old Avery Ramsey.

The focus is on working together, Hsu reported.

"We pick a charity, and have to prove to our teacher that we improved one life," said 13-year-old Meryl Kurland.

"We learn a lot about community and we do a lot of hands-on projects," said 10-year-old Rebecca Weintraub.

The school plans to use the money for an artist-in-residence program.

What do you make of the winning video? Sound off in our comments section.