West Newsmagazine 2-7-18

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February 7, 2018
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
I SCHOOLS I 19
Twin Oaks students present their ‘Academic
Snapshots’
Geometric Shapes” to “Greek Mythology
Influences in Modern Culture” to students
delivering monologues from Shakespeare’s
most famous plays.
The school said parents and students
alike thoroughly enjoyed the presentations
and declared the evening a success.
Reusing at heart of school grant
Four Rockwood middle schools are
taking part in a St. Louis County Health
Department grant project that will reduce
the amount of plastic water bottles students
recycle.
Crestview, Selvidge, Rockwood Valley
and LaSalle Springs have had some drinking
fountains replaced with a combination
of drinking fountain and water refilling stations.
Students and staff can use their personal
bottles instead of new, plastic water
bottles.
Rockwood Maintenance and Grounds
Coordinator Bill Branson said, “The goal
is to eliminate students’ bringing in capped
plastic water bottles, which have to be
recycled. This helps keep plastic bottles
and caps out of landfills.”
Schools also purchased reusable water
bottles for students, which they can keep
with them. Meanwhile, the water-filling
stations are equipped with counters, which
track how many times students refill bottles.
Each one represents a water bottle that
is not going to have to be recycled.
Students are keeping track of how many
plastic water bottles they made unnecessary.
They are also seeing how many plastic
water bottle caps they can collect.
​Branson said, “I think it’s good that
our students can learn some conservation
efforts and see practical applications to
some of the efforts that exist.”
LaSalle Springs administrators also will
be distributing reusable bottles to students.
“I hope they realize we can all save the
world,” said LaSalle Springs Principal
Debbie Brandt. “We are hoping they will
use this as an opportunity to learn more
about our environment and recycle, reduce,
reuse.”
Sixth-grade student Sydney Bailey said,
“It’s good that we’re collecting so many
bottle caps, but bad that they’re even out
there. For the environment, we want to see
how many caps we throw away and how
we can reduce that.”
“Students are really getting into this, and
we’re all learning about what happens to
plastic water bottles,” said another sixthgrade
student, Aaliyah Barsh. “We hope to
reduce, instead of recycle.”
LaSalle Springs teacher and science
department chair Mary Anne Moosmann
said the caps collecting is not a contest, just
a motivational activity. Just this semester,
LaSalle students have collected more than
12,200 plastic water bottle caps.
“The project goal is to make students
aware of how many single-serving plastic
water bottles they were using,” she said.
“We’re hoping to get rid of those singleserving
bottles. I hope kids will reuse over
and over, and help create something other
than a throw-away society.”
LaSalle Springs students demonstrate the
water refilling station that they hope will make
single-serving plastic water bottles and caps
unnecessary.
Poetry contest seeks entries
The St. Louis Poetry Center now is
accepting submissions for the 2018 Beverly
Hopkins Memorial Poetry Contest.
Winners receive cash prizes and a complimentary
chapbook featuring their poems.
Additionally, winners will read their works
at an awards ceremony at The Focal Point
in Maplewood on May 20.
Eligible poets must be high school students
living within 100 miles of St. Louis.
Poets may submit up to three poems that
have not previously won any awards.
Poems already published in a high school
publication can be submitted.
Submitted poems must include the
author’s name and email address on each
poem. A separate document with the poet’s
name, street address, phone number, email
address, high school, grade, teacher’s
name [if he or she encouraged or assigned
the poems], and titles of submitted poems
also must be included with the submission.
There is no entry fee; however, the contest
deadline is March 1.
Entries can be mailed to: St. Louis Poetry
Center, Hopkins High School Poetry Contest,
PO Box 300167, St. Louis, MO 63130.
Poems and author information sheets
should be attached as separate word documents.
For additional details, visit stlouispoetrycenter.org.
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