Recycling winners announced

WELLSBURG - From artwork to pop can collections, Brooke County students have helped to promote recycling in a variety of ways, and many of them received recognition at Monday's meeting of the Brooke County Board of Education.

The school board joined the Brooke County Solid Waste Authority in recognizing state and local winners of two contests and a Brooke High School class involved in collecting recyclable material.

Also on hand was Carol Throckmorton, chief of recycling market development and planning for the West Virginia Solid Waste Management Board, who announced Justyne Obeldobel, a Brooke High School senior, and Ethan Robey, a kindergartener at Colliers Primary School, were state winners of the 2009 West Virginia Recycles Contest.

Throckmorton said entries were submitted by more than 500 students throughout the state.

For their efforts, Robey will receive $100 and Obeldobel will receive $250. The teachers of both students will receive a $200 gift card for school supplies.

Held by the Recycling Coalition of West Virginia, the contest involves three age groups: children in kindergarten through third grade, who were invited to color a black and white drawing promoting recycling; children in grades fourth through eighth, who were challenged to design a compact disc cover supporting the cause; and students in grades ninth through 12th, who could apply their talent in writing, art, music and videography in promoting the theme.

Obeldobel shared a photo of her winning entry, a map of West Virginia with portions of 55 kinds of soda cut into the shapes of the state's counties. The map can be seen at the coalition's Web site at www.wvrecycles.com.

Throckmorton noted Obeldobel and Caitlyn Bright, also a Brooke High School senior, were winners of the Recycling Coalition of West Virginia's annual fashion show. The event challenges students to create clothing using material that normally would wind up in the trash.

A dress created by Obeldobel with Coca-Cola cans, with matching purse, shoes and earrings made with pop can tabs was named the Coca-Cola Challenge winner and overall winner of the contest, which included 64 entries.

Topped with a pink "corsage," Bright's yellow dress was made with assorted plastic grocery and sandwich bags linked with wire hangers and received the Town Center Shopping Challenge award, which was named for the Charleston mall where the event was held.

Modeling the ensembles were Brooke High School students Brittany DeCapio and Janna Bright.

Throckmorton also announced the Brooke County winner of the coalition's 2009 Recycling Champion award are members of Rob Robinson's facilities maintenance class at Brooke High School, which collects recyclable materials each day from each of the school's homerooms.

The award is presented each year to individuals, groups and businesses that have gone beyond the norm to support recycling.

For several years the Brooke County Solid Waste Authority has named local winners in each age group and at each Brooke County school participating in the West Virginia Recycles Day contest.

Solid waste board members Glenn Kocher, Ted Pauls and John Proellochs and Rebecca Harlan, the board's office manager, presented $50 gift cards to each first-place winner and $25 gift cards to each second place finisher this year.

The winners are:

Beech Bottom Primary School, kindergarten and first-grade division: Alanna Niven and Joshua Shorts, first and second place; and second- and third-grade division: Shyanne Smith and Savannah Grooms, first and second.

Colliers Primary School, kindergarten and first-grade division: Ethan Robey and Alexis Spensky, first and second; and second- and third-grade division: Kylee Burdette and Shelby Dunn, first and second.

Franklin Primary School, kindergarten and first-grade division: Dakota Isinghood and Makara Ferguson, first and second; and second- and third-grade division: David Boardley and Davin Sutak, first and second.

Hooverson Heights Primary School, kindergarten and first-grade division: Lydia Buchmelter and Emily Fieldman, first and second; second- and third-grade division: Alura Starr and Dylan LeMasters, first and second; and fourth-grade division: Jacob Rahr and Tyler Harrell, first and second.

Jefferson Primary School, kindergarten and first-grade division: Ivana Virden and Ty Ingram, first and second; second- and third-grade division: Meile Morris and Haley Ann Beatty, first and second; and fourth-grade division: Doug Vogtsberger and Courtney Marsh, first and second.

Lauretta B. Millsop Primary School, kindergarten and first-grade division: Elise Vuiller and Maddie Truex, first and second; and second- and third-grade division: Michael Littell and Rachel Horstmann, first and second.

Wellsburg Primary School, kindergarten and first-grade division: Russel Lough and Natalie Slivka, first and second; second- and third-grade division: Kaitlynne Seminsky and Rebecca Conaway, first and second; and fourth-grade division: Alyssa Garretson, first.

Follansbee Middle School: Travis Sullivan, first; and Lindsay Six, second.

Brooke High School: Justyne Obeldobel, first; and Karson Boyce, second.

Not all schools and grade levels participated.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com)