Message from Jamie Mitchell, Clean Campus State Coordinator
What a wonderful year 2023 has been for the Clean Campus Program! We have continued spreading the anti-litter message in nearly every county of the state through in-person visits or the Clean Campus learning video. We had more counties than ever participate in our Poster and Recycled Art Contests, and we had winners all the way from Madison to Baldwin Counties! Thousands of students heard our presentation and were given either pencils made from recycled paper, stickers to use on reusable water bottles, or cell phone stick-on wallets. Many new schools conducted campus cleanups with supplies provided by Alabama PALS, as well!
As you make your plans for the spring semester and as Earth Day approaches, we hope that you will consider adding campus cleanups or campus beautification projects into your routine. If you have not yet had an in-person visit from me, I’d love to schedule a time to come speak with your students.
Annual Poster Contest
The theme for this year’s poster contest is “From the Hills to the Shore, No More Litter in 2024!”
- Guidelines: Please conduct your own contest at the school level first, then send in only the top three posters for statewide judging.
- Judging: Please note the judging guidelines to assist students during their planning. Ensure all winners include ALL requested contact information on their posters.
- Deadline: April 19, 2024.
Recycled Art Contest
There is no set theme for the Recycled Art Contest, so get CREATIVE! * Format: We will accept both 2-D and 3-D works.
- Materials: Projects should be made entirely from recyclable materials (or what would otherwise be considered trash) other than a small amount of fastening materials.
- Submission: Please only send in the top three winners from your school. You may deliver the pieces or submit them digitally if they are too cumbersome to transport. If a digital entry is chosen as a winner, the piece must be delivered to the PALS office as soon as possible after notification.
- Deadline: April 19, 2024.
Recognition and Enrollment
The PALS office will notify each winner, school, and PALS County Contact by May 10th. Winners will be recognized and presented with their respective awards at the Annual Governor’s Awards Luncheon in November 2024.
In closing, I would like to thank each school that is committed to keeping their campus and community clean. Thank you to those that are a part of the Clean Campus Program and to the students learning to be better stewards of our environment. We are all in this together!
If your school is not currently enrolled, please visit www.alpals.org to sign up. The program is FREE to all Alabama schools thanks to the generosity of Coca-Cola, ALFA, and the Alabama Farmer’s Cooperative. Please call or email me with any questions at (334) 263-7737 or [email protected].
— Jamie