Sunnyside Posters Get Word Out
Students and faculty from P.S. 150 in Sunnyside, City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer and members of the Sunnyside United Dog Society kicked off last Friday, Mar. 22, a local campaign to encourage dog owners to curb their pets.
After students of P.S. 150 became aware of the abundant amount of dog waste around their school and in their neighborhoods, they reached out to Van Bramer’s office for assistance.
In an effort to encourage dog owners to adhere to New York State Public Health Law 1310, Council Bramer’s office worked with the faculty and students to develop a poster contest that features local students’ artwork encouraging dog owners to clean up after their pets.
The poster contest was integrated into the elementary school’s social studies curriculum in an effort to get the neighborhood children active in public service. Students from prekindergatren through sixth grade participated. More than 280 posters were submitted to the contest.
“Most dog owners are not guilty of leaving their pet’s poop behind,” said Van Bramer. “With the help of the students, we will get the message out that all dog owners need to be responsible for their mutts’ mess. Together, we will raise awareness and help keep our community clean.”
Local residents are encouraged to vote for one of the contest’s finalists. The five finalists can be viewed at Van Bramer’s official website, www.jimmyvanbramer.com.
“At P.S. 150, our students learn to be responsible citizens,” said Zulma Tanzer, assistant principal.”As part of our social studies curriculum, they learn that being a member of a community means that they have rights and responsibilities. Students also learn that rules are established to maintain order, and they must be followed. When individuals are not being responsible, nor following rules, citizens can present their concerns to community leaders. In our community, there has been an ongoing issue with dog owners not being responsible. As a way of seeking change and increasing awareness, our students have joined Council Member Van Bramer in a campaign to influence dog owners have a responsibility to keep our streets clean by curbing their dogs.”
To help jump-start the council member’s campaign for cleaner streets, Wespaw Pets donated 5,000 disposable bio-degradable “dog poop bags.” The free bags will be available at Van Bramer’s district office located at 47-01 Queens Boulevard, Suite 205, Sunnyside.
