JCP
11-17-2008, 11:45 AM
5th Recycled Ornament Contest is Underway
It’s officially “Oxford Recycles Month”, and the 5th annual Recycled Holiday Ornament Contest kicked off Friday, November 14th at the Oxford Academy Primary School. Notices went home in Friday Folders so kids might get thinking about it over the weekend. This event was designed to coincide with the state’s “NY Recycles” and the national “America Recycles Day” on November 15th. While it may appear to be just a fun contest for the kids, the positive ecological message it’s sending is clear to all. It has received support and recognition from local businesses, the Village of Oxford, the Chenango County DPW, and the NYS DEC in Albany.
Sponsored by the Oxford Holiday Committee, the contest specifies that the ornaments, no larger than 8”, be constructed of materials that would usually go in the garbage can, such as Styrofoam cups, straws, cardboard, old unwanted CDs, etc. The deadline for entries is November 24th.
To give the kids from UPK through 4th grades, some ideas for environmentally friendly, recycled ornaments, a display window near the office in the Primary School has been set up. Aside from sample ornaments, there are books on exhibit from the school’s library, selected by Margaret Fenson, the media director. Most of these books detail the importance of the “3 R’s”- Recycling, Reducing, and Reusing.
The new Primary School art teacher, Nicole Hanehan, has been very helpful talking to her students this past week about the ornament contest and showing them examples from the “Recycled Ornaments” links online at the OxfordNY.com school web page ( www.oxfordny.com/community/schools/ (http://www.oxfordny.com/forum/../community/schools/) ). Jeanie Petersen of the Holiday Committee made a life-sized turkey out of garbage which has been named, “Trash Tom”. He has been on loan, from his nest in the window of 6 On The Square, to Ms. Hanehan’s art room this past week as an extreme example of recycling. Ms. Hanehan was very enthusiastic about the contest and had many ideas and references of her own to share with the kids. With so much inspiration, the Holiday Committee expects the best contest ever!
All participants who enter will get personalized Certificates of Recognition, pencils made from recycled currency and informative “NY Recycles” conservation booklets generously donated by the DEC. Ornaments will also be exhibited for the month of December in the window of ‘6 On The Square’, the arts and entertainment venue located at 6 LaFayette Park.
There will also be three place awards in each Primary School grade (18 total) who will receive gift certificates from Oxford merchants, sponsored by the Oxford Holiday Committee. First place winners will get Hoppie’s ice-cream sundaes; 2nd places will get Clachan hot cocoas; and 3rd places will get Roma’s pizza slices.
The Recycled Ornament Contest annually receives support and recognition from the NYS DEC’s -Bureau of Waste Reduction & Recycling-, Debbie Jackson in Albany. The DEC has donated recycled tote bags for the 1st place winners and recycled plastic mugs for the 2nd place winners. Ms. Jackson confirmed that this contest was the FIRST EVER in New York State.
Tying in with the eco-contest, Oxford Village Mayor, the Honorable, Terry M. Stark, proclaimed November 2008 as Oxford Recycles Month! The proclamation is to be observed this month with “appropriate programs and activities.” Nothing could be more appropriate than the Recycled Holiday Ornament Contest. The winning children will also have the proud distinction of having their names announced by the Honorable Mayor at the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony in LaFayette Park, November 30th, at 5:00 PM.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge photos.)
Caption 1: Some of the clever 2007 recycled holiday ornament entries by (the then) kindergartener, Makayla Whaley, and from the first grade, Andrea Dempsey and Morgan Rogers.
Caption 2: "Trash Tom", a sculpture, was created by Jeanie Petersen of the Oxford Holiday Committee, as an example for the primary school kids, of different ways to use waste materials creatively.
It’s officially “Oxford Recycles Month”, and the 5th annual Recycled Holiday Ornament Contest kicked off Friday, November 14th at the Oxford Academy Primary School. Notices went home in Friday Folders so kids might get thinking about it over the weekend. This event was designed to coincide with the state’s “NY Recycles” and the national “America Recycles Day” on November 15th. While it may appear to be just a fun contest for the kids, the positive ecological message it’s sending is clear to all. It has received support and recognition from local businesses, the Village of Oxford, the Chenango County DPW, and the NYS DEC in Albany.
Sponsored by the Oxford Holiday Committee, the contest specifies that the ornaments, no larger than 8”, be constructed of materials that would usually go in the garbage can, such as Styrofoam cups, straws, cardboard, old unwanted CDs, etc. The deadline for entries is November 24th.
To give the kids from UPK through 4th grades, some ideas for environmentally friendly, recycled ornaments, a display window near the office in the Primary School has been set up. Aside from sample ornaments, there are books on exhibit from the school’s library, selected by Margaret Fenson, the media director. Most of these books detail the importance of the “3 R’s”- Recycling, Reducing, and Reusing.
The new Primary School art teacher, Nicole Hanehan, has been very helpful talking to her students this past week about the ornament contest and showing them examples from the “Recycled Ornaments” links online at the OxfordNY.com school web page ( www.oxfordny.com/community/schools/ (http://www.oxfordny.com/forum/../community/schools/) ). Jeanie Petersen of the Holiday Committee made a life-sized turkey out of garbage which has been named, “Trash Tom”. He has been on loan, from his nest in the window of 6 On The Square, to Ms. Hanehan’s art room this past week as an extreme example of recycling. Ms. Hanehan was very enthusiastic about the contest and had many ideas and references of her own to share with the kids. With so much inspiration, the Holiday Committee expects the best contest ever!
All participants who enter will get personalized Certificates of Recognition, pencils made from recycled currency and informative “NY Recycles” conservation booklets generously donated by the DEC. Ornaments will also be exhibited for the month of December in the window of ‘6 On The Square’, the arts and entertainment venue located at 6 LaFayette Park.
There will also be three place awards in each Primary School grade (18 total) who will receive gift certificates from Oxford merchants, sponsored by the Oxford Holiday Committee. First place winners will get Hoppie’s ice-cream sundaes; 2nd places will get Clachan hot cocoas; and 3rd places will get Roma’s pizza slices.
The Recycled Ornament Contest annually receives support and recognition from the NYS DEC’s -Bureau of Waste Reduction & Recycling-, Debbie Jackson in Albany. The DEC has donated recycled tote bags for the 1st place winners and recycled plastic mugs for the 2nd place winners. Ms. Jackson confirmed that this contest was the FIRST EVER in New York State.
Tying in with the eco-contest, Oxford Village Mayor, the Honorable, Terry M. Stark, proclaimed November 2008 as Oxford Recycles Month! The proclamation is to be observed this month with “appropriate programs and activities.” Nothing could be more appropriate than the Recycled Holiday Ornament Contest. The winning children will also have the proud distinction of having their names announced by the Honorable Mayor at the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony in LaFayette Park, November 30th, at 5:00 PM.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge photos.)
Caption 1: Some of the clever 2007 recycled holiday ornament entries by (the then) kindergartener, Makayla Whaley, and from the first grade, Andrea Dempsey and Morgan Rogers.
Caption 2: "Trash Tom", a sculpture, was created by Jeanie Petersen of the Oxford Holiday Committee, as an example for the primary school kids, of different ways to use waste materials creatively.