(Washington, DC)— The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) and JASON Learning today are proud to present the winners of their nationwide 2015-2016 Youth Video & Poster Contest designed to promote the value of recycling among youth. The team of Eleanor Small and Megan Onello, seventh graders from Hampstead, NH won the grand prize in the video category, and Angelica Devers, an eighth grader from Kapolei, HI won the grand prize in the poster category.
“ISRI would like to congratulate the student winners who through a combination of artistic ability and understanding of recycling, are helping to promote our industry to future generations” said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. “Through our partnership with JASON Learning, we are able to give students the opportunity to learn and raise awareness about recycling in a fun and educational way. This contest further generates interest in the recycling industry that could lead children to pursue careers in or related to recycling.”
This year’s theme was “Recycling is Bigger than the Bin.” Students in grades K-12 were asked to think outside of the bin and brainstorm about how items other than the newspapers, aluminum cans, and plastic bottles commonly found in blue bins are recycled. The item chosen by the students had to include one or more of the following commodities: steel; plastic; glass; nonferrous metals; tires/rubber; textiles; and paper. They then had to find a way to recycle it and depict their findings in the style of a public service announcement through either a poster or video.
“In everything we do at JASON we try to link kids to the real-world applications of the science subjects they study in school,” said Patrick Shea, executive vice president of JASON. “Contests such as this one are a way for them to explore areas of STEM that they might otherwise never think of, or make a personal connection with. For the case of 'Bigger than the Bin' we wanted to challenge their assumptions about recycling, and the scope of the industry. What we consistently see is that when we make these connections and introductions, kids get it. They come back to us with submissions that show a deep understanding of the underlying concepts and issues, and they're able to communicate them in amazingly creative ways. It's a fun project to be involved in, and ReMA has been a terrific long-term partner for JASON.”
Judges evaluated entries on the interpretation and clarity of the theme to the viewer, the persuasiveness of the message, creativity and originality, the quality of the entry, and the overall impression of the entry.
The students submitting the grand-prize winning entries will be recognized at ISRI’s Annual Convention & Exposition being held April 2-7 in Las Vegas. Grand prize winners and finalists are featured on the ReMA website. All finalists will receive a certificate, a full year of JASON online access for the entrant(s) and teacher/facilitator, and a contest t-shirt. Entries receiving honorable mentions will receive certificates and t-shirts.
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The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) is the Voice of the Recycling Industry™. ReMA represents more than 1,600 companies in 21 chapters nationwide that process, broker and industrially consume scrap commodities, including metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics and textiles. With headquarters in Washington, DC, the Institute provides safety, education, advocacy, and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development.