Message from Shay Grant – Clean Campus State Coordinator
The Clean Campus Program had a busy year in 2024! Jamie Mitchell moved from the Clean Campus State Coordinator to the Executive Director of Alabama PALS. She completed the school year with many visits to schools across the state, helped with the Spring Clean-up, as well as oversaw the poster and recycled art contests in 2024. I joined the PALS team in September as the new Clean Campus State Coordinator and am thrilled to have this new opportunity to go into schools and spread the anti-litter message to students. I retired from the classroom in June after 33 years of teaching and can’t wait to work with teachers to come up with ways to implement the Clean Campus Program.
With spring just around the corner, I hope that you will consider adding cleanups or campus beautification projects into your routine. If you need any help with ideas for this, do not hesitate to contact me. If you have not already had an in-person visit from me, I would love to schedule a time to come speak with your students. Our poster and recycled art contests are a fantastic way to get students excited about keeping our state clean! The theme for this year’s poster contest is “Help Alabama Thrive! Clean Up in 2025!” Please have your own school contest first, then send in only your top three posters for statewide judging. Also, note the judging guidelines that will help your students when planning their posters and for judging at the local level. Be sure to have your winners include ALL contact information requested on the backside of their posters. Entries are due April 16, 2025.
There is no set theme for the Recycled Art Contest, so be CREATIVE!! 2-D and 3-D projects will be accepted. The project should be made entirely from recycled materials other than a small amount of fastening materials. Please only send your top three winners from your school. You may either deliver the pieces or enter digitally if it is too heavy or cumbersome to transport for judging. If sending a digital entry and chosen as a winner, that piece will need to be delivered to the PALS office as soon as possible after notification. Be sure to include ALL contact information requested attached to the artwork entry. Entries are due April 16, 2025.
The PALS office will notify each winner, school, and PALS county contact by May 8, 2025. Winners will be recognized and presented with their respective awards at the Annual Governor’s Awards Luncheon in November 2025.
I would like to thank all of you for committing to keeping your campus and community clean. Thank you to each school that is a part of the Clean Campus Program. Thank you to each student that is learning to be better stewards of the environment, participating in regular campus and community clean ups, contests and spreading the word about litter. It takes all of us to keep Alabama the Beautiful!
It is not too late to enroll in the Clean Campus Program. If you are 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 UNITED, Vulcan, ALFA, and the Alabama Farmers Cooperative. Please call or email me with any questions about the program or our contests at (334) 263-7737 or [email protected].