Oklahoma students promote anti-litter message: Clean up the nation one state at a time

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: April 27, 2016
Press Release # 16-018

“It’s elementary, not rocket science – don’t litter!” reads the slogan from one of the winning posters from this year’s Trash Poster Contest, and for the 13 grade school winners, spreading litter awareness really is elementary.

Twelve posters, made by students from across the state, were selected to be published in the 2017 Keep Our Land Grand calendar. One additional poster was selected to be the 2017 Promotional Poster of the Year.

“We are always so impressed with the creativity and passion for Oklahoma’s environment displayed by the participants,” said Melody Johnson beautification coordinator for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. “The roughly 14,000 entries demonstrate how important the state’s litter problem is to Oklahoma’s students.”  

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation spends about $4 million annually to keep highway rights-of-way clean. This does not include the large amount of volunteer clean-up efforts throughout the year by local Adopt-a-Highway groups combined with annual events such as ODOT’s Trash-Off that took place April 23.

In addition to being recognized by the Oklahoma House of Representatives at the State Capitol, the winners were honored at an awards luncheon ODOT headquarters in Oklahoma City. They also received a T-Shirt bearing their design and a cash prize.

The winning posters will be on display in the ODOT lobby through May, along with hundreds of winning posters from the county level judging. Calendars are sent to state and federal offices, local libraries, schools, media outlets and various other organizations statewide, nationally and internationally. They are also available for free from the ODOT.

Contest sponsors include ODOT, OGE Energy Corporation, Oklahoma Employees Credit Union, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department – Oklahoma State Parks, Oklahoma Environmental Management Authority, Oklahoma Chapter of the Sierra Club, Oklahoma Rural Water Association, Ardmore Beatification Council, Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions, Solid Waste Institute of Northeast Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Beautiful, Waste Research Inc., Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, Oklahoma Arts Council, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, Oklahoma State Department of Education, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.

The winning posters can be viewed online at http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/beauty/poster/winners.htm.

The state winners are:

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade:

• First Place: Braden Hibler , 2nd grade, Pottawatomie County
• Second Place: Cambri Castleman , 2nd grade, McCurtain County
• Third Place: Carlee Jo Castleman , Kindergarten, McCurtain County

3rd - 5th Grade:

• First Place: Dennae Newman , 4th grade, Adair County
• Second Place: Jacob Diehl , 4th grade, Creek County
• Third Place: Conner Castleman , 5th grade, McCurtain County

6th - 8th Grade:

• First Place: Katie Williams , 8th grade, LeFlore County
• Second Place: Thomas Buchanan , 6th grade, Oklahoma County
• Third Place: Abbie Ann Carlile , 7th grade, Marshall County

9th - 12th Grade:

• First Place: Lakon Lynch , 9th grade, Texas County
• Second Place: Olivia Anderson , 10th grade, Carter County
• Third Place: Jordyn Ellis , 10th grade, Stephens County

2016 “PROMOTIONAL POSTER OF THE YEAR”

Haliquay DuShane , 10th grade, Cherokee County