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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:     Dec. 5, 2006

Contact:       Amber Wells, Solid Waste Program education and outreach specialist,
357-2491 ext. 7669

Thurston County announces winners of school recycling pledge card contest

OLYMPIA –Three schools have won a pizza party and refurbished computer for gathering the most recycling pledge cards in a competition sponsored by Thurston County Solid Waste.  The contest rewards one classroom each at the elementary, middle and high-school levels for submitting the greatest number of pledge cards from people promising to recycle and buy recycled products. The winning classrooms are:

·        Karla Kyes’ kindergarten class at Parkside Elementary School in Tenino: 349 cards.

·        Becky McDaniel’s 6^th-grade 2^nd/3^rd period block class at Rochester Middle School : 347 cards.

·        Matt Mounts’ 4^th-period forestry class at Yelm High School : 176 cards.

Thurston County launched the competition Nov. 15 to coincide with America Recycles Day. Twenty-four classrooms participated in the contest, gathering 2,223 recycling pledge cards. The kindergarten class at Parkside Elementary School not only won first-place in its category, it also gathered more pledge cards than any other class in the event.

Thurston County ’s 2006 competition marked the first time the county participated in the national pledge card event. Everyone who filled out a pledge card will also be entered in a national drawing for prizes including an Alaskan cruise for adults and Trek bicycles for children.

“The students, teachers, and people who signed the pledge cards were all incredibly enthusiastic,” said Amber Wells, Thurston County Solid Waste educator. “This has been a fun, rewarding way to encourage people to protect our world’s natural resources.”

The Thurston County Solid Waste program also credits Pizza Time for donating the pizza parties and PC Salvage for donating the refurbished computers. PC Salvage also supplied refurbished computers for the runners-up in each grade level. They are:  

·        Bonnie Payne’s 4^th-grade class at Black Lake Elementary School in Tumwater: 108 cards.

·        Laura Chevalier’s 7^th grade morning block class at George Washington Bush Middle School in Tumwater: 106 cards.

·        Mike Patrick’s 4^th-period class at Yelm High School : 172 cards.

“The environment was really the biggest winner in this event,” said Wells. “We can all pledge to recycle more…with or without the cards.”