Message from Jamie Mitchell – Clean Campus State Coordinator
The Clean Campus Program continued to thrive in 2022, and we are looking forward to another great year in 2023! We have had more schools request bags than ever, and in the fall we had 42 schools sign up or recommit to the program that had not participated in a while. At our Governor’s Awards in November, we recognized 20 students from all over the state from the 2022 Poster and Recycled Art Contests as well as 4 schools that submitted amazing scrapbooks for our Clean Campus Contest. Check out all the winners that are pictured in this edition of the newsletter.
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 Annual Poster and Recycled Art Contests will be due on April 21st, 2023. The theme for this year’s poster contest is “Better NOT Litter!” Please have your own contest at the school level first, then send in only the top 3 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 their posters.
Recycled Art Contest
There is no set theme for the Recycled Art Contest, so get CREATIVE! We will accept both 2-D and 3-D works, and the project should be made entirely from recyclable materials (or what would otherwise be considered trash) other than a small amount of fastening materials. As with the poster contest, please only send in the top 3 winners from your school. You may either deliver the pieces or submit them digitally if 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 and turn in entries by April 21, 2023.
The PALS office will notify each winner, school and PALS County Contact by May 12th. Winners will be recognized and presented with their respective awards at the Annual Governor’s Awards Luncheon in November 2023.
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. Thank you to students that are learning to be better stewards of our environment and are participating in cleanups, contests and helping spread the word about litter. We are all in this together!
If your school is not currently enrolled in the Clean Campus Program, 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 regarding the program or our contests at (334) 263-7737 or [email protected].
— Jamie Mitchell