Two BCPS elementary schools take $3,000 grand prizes in county’s 2016 Clean Green 15 program

TOWSON, MD – That old saying – the one about “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” – was never more appropriate than at Reisterstown Elementary School at the third Team BCPS Clean Green 15 Litter Challenge award ceremony on May 11.

Reisterstown and Grange elementary schools walked away with dual $3,000 grand prize grants in this year’s Clean Green awards event, the result of both schools excelling in the countywide anti-litter program.

Led by County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools Executive Director Debbie Phelps, the ceremony honored Reisterstown for marshalling the most volunteers to help clean up the school and community during the year – 1,350 – while Grange was cited for collecting the most trash – 23,174 pounds since last fall.

“We’re delighted to see the enthusiasm for the Clean Green 15 Litter Challenge growing,” Kamenetz said, “with 25 percent more clean-ups logged this year than last and 67 percent more volunteers recorded.”

Countywide, 28 schools or their community partners conducted 406 clean-ups of 15 minutes or more with 5,602 volunteer helpers.

During this week’s awards ceremony, Reisterstown’s students cheered as their winning clean-up activities were celebrated by County Executive Kamenetz, BCPS Assistant Superintendents Dr. Monique Wheatley-Phillip and Heidi Miller, County Council Chair Vicki Almond, and a variety of dignitaries and sponsors.

First and second places in the challenge took home grants of $2,000 and $1,500 respectively, while another six “honorable mention” schools received iPads. On the elementary school level, Westowne Elementary took first place followed by last year’s grand prize winner, Bear Creek Elementary, in second place. For middle schools, Holabird and Dundalk middle schools took first and second, respectively. And among high schools, Western School of Technology was the first place award winner, followed by Sparrows Point High School.

Schools winning iPads were Colgate, Chapel Hill, Vincent Farm, and Stoneleigh elementary schools, Stemmers Run Middle, and Catonsville High School.

All of the cash grants from the Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools will go toward funding school-based instructional projects emphasizing the theme of environmental literacy.

In addition, county officials also pledged to donate a tree for future planting to each school that participated in this year’s Clean Green campaign.

The collaborative program by the Office of County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, the Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, the Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability, and BCPS was sponsored by BGE, Maryland Environmental Service, and Tradepoint Atlantic.

The 2017 Team BCPS Clean Green 15 Litter Challenge began May 1, 2016, and will run through April 30, 2017. For more information or to record a clean-up activity, go to https://www.bcps.org/teamBCPS/cleanGreen15/. To see photographs from the awards ceremony, visit the BCPS Flickr website: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bcps/albums/72157665870389983.