Schools win cash for trashy ideas

Eight Queens schools have won top honors and cash awards as well as life-long environmental preservation skills in the New York City Department of Sanitation's (DSNY) 2006 Golden Apple Awards.
An annual competition since 1978, the contest seeks to challenge students to create innovative projects to improve their environment and neighborhoods. Schools competed within their grade division (elementary, intermediate, or high school) for borough and citywide titles.
Projects were judged within three categories: Super Recyclers which rewards model-recycling programs, Reduce and Reuse which rewards innovative waste-prevention practices, and Team Up to Clean Up which challenges students to beautify and aesthetically improve their schools and neighborhoods.
Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty in the Department of Sanitation's newsletter states, &#8220Hands on learning has been the most effective way to teach.” With this premise in mind projects ran the gamut from gardens, murals, and anti-litter campaigns; all designed to create inspiring beautification and waste prevention initiatives.
Nancy Washington, a teacher at P.S. 233 @ 827, and the school's project coordinator for the competition, won a whopping $6,000. She and her students were the borough and citywide intermediate school winners in the Reduce and Reuse category. This achievement is even more impressive given her students all possess multiple handicaps.
Guided by the mantra &#8220Let's Find Another Use,” students in wheel chairs, visually impaired, and with other various birth defects conducted a clothing donation drive, a book swap, reused art projects, and a created a Styrofoam elimination program.
Specifically Washington and her students turned old CD cases into picture frames. Putting magnets on the back of the cases, they were able to attach them to the metal walls of their classroom trailer. It was the third time P.S. 233 @ 827 won an award at the competition.
Fran Bosi, project coordinator for Alexander Graham Bell P.S. 205 was the elementary school borough winner in the Team Up to Clean Up category. She helped her students to build a tomato sphere in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency. The project hopes to determine outer space's affect on the germination rate of tomato seeds.
P.S. 224 @ 26Q Rufus King School won $1500 dollars as borough runner-up in the elementary school division of the Team Up to Clean Up category. Helene Esposito, the project coordinator and her students grew an organic grain garden on the sunlight challenged side of the school.
Deborah Williams, project coordinator of Chris Galas P.S. 47 gave their school an &#8220Xtreme Makeover.” Students spent three weeks painting a mural of numbers, letters, and art objects on the front of the school.
Officials from the Department of Education, Sanitation, and representatives from several local environmental organizations judged projects based on the Department of Education's Applied Learning Standards, standards that require students to address a genuine need in the community and provide &#8220real world” results.
&#8220The innovative projects these teachers and students develop are a great way for our youngest citizens to learn about their civic responsibilities,” Doherty asserts.
According to Washington of P.S. 233 @ 827, all cash awards must be reinvested in the school. They created a wish list for possible uses of their $6,000. On the list are new digital cameras and a laminator (in line with their reducing/reuse initiatives) to preserve instructional materials. Williams of Chris Galas P.S. 47 also plans to use the award for essential school equipment.
The list of Queens winners includes borough and citywide winner, Ramon Suarez P.S. 239 for elementary schools in the Super Recyclers category. David Porter P.S. 94 followed as borough runner-up.
In the Reduce and Reuse category, Ramon Suarez P.S. 239 won again for the borough and citywide elementary school division. Alexander Graham Bell P.S. 205 followed as borough runner-up with David S. Porter P.S. 94 winning borough honorable mention.
In the intermediate division of the Reduce and Reuse category P.S. 233 @ 827 won for the borough and citywide. I.S. 87 Q and P.S. 233 Q @ 875 both won borough honorable mention.
In the Team Up to Clean Up elementary school division Alexander Graham Bell P.S. 205 is the borough winner, with P.S. 224 @ 26Q Rufus King School winning borough runner-up.
Chris Galas P.S. 47 won the borough and citywide intermediate division in the Team Up to Clean Up category.