2004 Golden Apple Awards Winners

The NYC Department of Sanitation’s 2004 Golden Apple Awards program included the following three school contests.

• TrashMasters! Reduce & Reuse Challenge: Rewards schools for implementing the most successful and innovative waste prevention practices.

• TrashMasters! Super Recyclers: Recognizes schools that have implemented model recycling programs for the materials designated by DSNY.

• TrashMasters! Team Up to Clean Up: Acknowledges schools exhibiting the most extensive and original cleanup and beautification projects.

The Department of Sanitation gave cash prizes for Citywide Winner ($5,000), Borough Winner ($3,000), Borough Runner-Up ($2,000), and Honorable Mention ($1,000) to the schools with the highest scores in each grade division—Elementary, Intermediate, and High School. Please note that award levels change year to year based on available funding.

Submission requirements called for schools to present their students’ efforts in a binder with essays, photos, drawings, and other documentation. A judging committee for each contest reviewed all the binders and assigned each a score. To be eligible for awards, schools had to meet minimum score requirements; some categories did not produce a winner. 

The winners for each contest, along with descriptions of their projects and PDF files containing scanned pages of winning entries, appear below; bold text indicates Citywide Winners. For a list of winners without project descriptions, see a quick list of 2004 Golden Apple Winners.

Note: The pages from winning entries are PDF (Portable Document Format) documents; you’ll need Version 5.0 or later of the Adobe Acrobat Reader to open them.

Most innovative waste prevention practices

Elementary School Division
Intermediate School Division
High School Division

  ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DIVISION

Queens Borough & Citywide Winner

•David Porter School PS 94
Students completed numerous projects with an interdisciplinary approach, including a book drive for needy students; persuasive letters to manufacturers to reduce excess packaging; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle posters and mosaic mural; classroom art projects from reused materials; leaf composting; and shredding old newspaper for animal bedding. Students also developed a new product for Cozy Comfort Pillows, a student-run self-sustaining business where students reduce paper waste and solicit donations of textiles to create stuffed pillows and animals. See pages from winning entry: Part 1 (4.9MB)   Part 2 (3.3MB)

Queens Borough Runner Up

•PS 87
Students promoted and ran a reusable flea market; built recycling fantasy boxes inspired by artist Joseph Cornell; assembled brooches from old puzzle pieces; and wrote Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle hints and tips. Students also studied rainforests and used reusable objects to create elaborate biome environments for hallways on each floor. See pages from winning entry (5.2MB).

Queens Borough Honorable Mention

•Alexander Graham Bell School PS 205
Worm composting project: 2nd and 3rd grades compared worms’ preferred food sources, incorporating scientific observation; writing hypotheses, procedures, and observation; and illustration. Students also reused milk cartons as gingerbread houses, drew recycling pictures, and wrote poetry. See pages from winning entry (3.5MB).

Queens Borough Honorable Mention

•P 224 @ 26 Q
Paper reduction campaign: students used wipe-off boards for classroom work, made recycled paper, encouraged Reduce, Reuse, Recycle at home. Also conducted compost project; utilized videos from the NYC Teachers’RRResource kit; and read environmental books. See pages from winning entry (3.6MB).

Staten Island Borough Winner

•Graniteville School PS 22
Researched and promoted secondary use for discarded bottle caps. Students collected and donated laundry bottle caps for use as paint holders; and collected over 1500 Snapple caps to send to craft cooperative in Zimbabwe that forms caps into tote bags. Classes also plan to exchange letters with students in Zimbabwe. School-wide project demonstrated ELA, Math, and Applied Learning standards met. See pages from winning entry (3.9MB).

  INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DIVISION

(No winners in 2004)

  HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

Queens Borough & Citywide Winner

•P 233 @ Beach Channel High School
Special Education class organized school-wide book drive and book swap. Also, created pads from waste paper, utilizing bindery equipment. As part of the project, students gave presentations to classrooms, created posters, wrote essays, involved the community, and analyzed collection data. See pages from winning entry (4.8MB).

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Outstanding recycling programs with school-wide involvement and support

Elementary School Division
Intermediate School Division
High School Division

  ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DIVISION

Brooklyn Borough Winner

•The Blythebourne School PS 105
See pages from winning entry (4.3MB).

Queens Borough Winner & Citywide Winner

•David Porter School PS 94
See pages from winning entry: Part 1 (5.4MB)   Part 2 (3.5MB)

Manhattan Borough Winner

•Anna Silver School PS 20
See pages from winning entry (4.9MB).

  INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DIVISION

Manhattan Borough Winner

•Our Lady Queen of Martyrs
See pages from winning entry (3.5MB).

  HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

Brooklyn Borough Winner

•Brooklyn Transition Center P 373 K
See pages from winning entry (2.8MB).

Brooklyn Borough Honorable Mention

•School for Legal Studies
See pages from winning entry (3.5MB).

Manhattan Borough Winner

•High School for Environmental Studies
See pages from winning entry (4.1MB).

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Cleanup and beautification of schools and communities

Elementary School Division
Intermediate School Division
High School Division

  ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DIVISION

Brooklyn Borough & Citywide Winner

• P 771 K @ PS 225
Ongoing cross-curriculum projects included plant cycle study and composting at Gateway Park. This Special Education class, comprised of students with severe learning disabilities and emotional difficulties, also made recycled paper with botanicals; wrote observations, essays, and stories; created watercolors of botanicals; charted plant growth; and painted a “Poetree”mural to display their poems. Also adopted a garden at local nursing home, the Menorah Home. Project included description of learning standards met. See pages from winning entry (3.8MB).

Brooklyn Borough Runner-Up

•Monitor School PS 110
”Planting a Rainbow”: First grade and Special Ed classes collaborated to place window boxes in every room. Through mini-lessons in math, science, reading, word study, and writing, the students tallied, measured, experimented, wrote letters requesting dirt donations, calculated quantities and money needed for supplies, and visited the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. See pages from winning entry (4.0MB).

Brooklyn Borough Honorable Mention

•E C Blum PS 46
”Re-imagining Junk”: School-wide, waste-reduction curriculum beautified an unusual location (the bathrooms) with art tiles made from found objects. Students researched artists who work with recycled materials, and differing cultural attitudes towards “junk”. Class work incorporated art history, social studies, math, language arts, photography, and artwork. Students wrote letters, essays, newsletter, and reflections. Upper grades helped prepare the project entry binder, including type and design. See pages from winning entry (3.7MB).

Manhattan Borough Winner

•The Anna Silver School PS 20
School improvement project: 5th grade teams planned and executed designs for classroom doorway lintels. Students prepared scale drawings, models, and essays, which incorporated math, science, social studies, and technology, as well as language and visual arts. Students presented their top designs to a panel of school and community judges. Students also designed “Witness”sculpture to honor those who suffered loss in 9/11 attacks; silhouettes of children’s faces rendered in metal are now permanently displayed on outside school wall. See pages from winning entry (5MB).

Queens Borough Winner

•Alexander Graham Bell School PS 205
Students created and maintained multiple school gardens, beautifying the neighborhood and stimulating inter-curriculum opportunities. Students composted, participated in scientific observation and measurement, and submitted essays and drawings. See pages from winning entry (4.1MB).

  INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DIVISION

Bronx Borough Winner

•James M Kieran School PS/IS 123
Anti-litter poster project led to formation of a Saturday “Team Up to Clean Up”Club, dedicated to community service through art. Students designed posters, invented wearable posters, and then created T-shirts which attracted additional participation. The new club cleaned the schoolyard and created planters from donated materials, designing and voting for a “positive message of pride”to paint on the planters. Kids compiled photographs illustrating the evolution of this project, each page illuminated with their own artwork and reflections. See pages from winning entry: Part 1 (4.4MB)   Part 2 (5.1MB)

Bronx Borough Runner Up

•Pablo Casals MS 181
Speech students restored two Memorial Gardens devastated by school construction. The school secured contributions from local businesses and government agencies. A smoking pile of donated mulch inspired scientific investigation, as students measured and compared temperatures, and learned about decomposition. Essays reflected on their hard work and pride in the gardens. Selected by NY Restoration Project for Rose Award. See pages from winning entry (5.3MB).

Brooklyn Borough Winner

•Dyker Heights IS 201
”A Tale of Trash”: writing, math, and science projects yield a book and Shakespeare Garden. Students researched, wrote, and published a book on litter and recycling for distribution to lower grades and other local schools. Art imitates life: like the characters in their story, students declared a Recycling Awareness Week, published a newsletter, created a poster campaign, and then conducted a cleanup, preparing the school garden for planting. See pages from winning entry (5.8MB).

Manhattan Borough Winner

•Booker T Washington MS 54
Spring cleanup and beautification at local police precinct and firehouse by Special Ed 7th grade. Students solicited donations and involvement from local BID, Home Depot, NY Trees, NYC Parks Dept, and US Dept of Forestry. Incorporating math standards, students measured sites, created scale drawings, calculated perimeter and area for soil and fence purchases, and planned work schedule. Students raised funds to purchase supplies; removed large debris, trash, and leaves; enhanced soil; planted bulbs and flowers; and installed iron fencing. See pages from winning entry (3.8MB).

Manhattan Borough Honorable Mention

•Our Lady Queen of Martyrs
Teams of students chose and completed cleanup and graffiti-removal projects in Ft. Tryon Park, a local community garden, and neighborhood sites. Students compiled individual photo scrapbooks documenting before and after results of their efforts. See pages from winning entry (6.4MB).

Queens Borough & Citywide Winner

• Chris Galas School PS 47
”Our Own Backyard: from eyesore to a sight for sore eyes:”7th & 8th graders invited the community to join their cleanup of the abandoned lot facing their school. Students met math and science standards by categorizing and tallying illegally dumped trash, and then calculating the most cost-effective purchase scenario for beautification phase. Students also wrote descriptive essays about the project. See pages from winning entry (4.4MB).

  HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

Brooklyn Borough Winner

•Automotive High School
”Road to Success”graffiti removal project replaced hate symbols and obscenities from dumpsters and wall. Students contacted a local artist and collaborated to design an inspiring mural, and secured donation of painting supplies from local business. Completed project received local press coverage. Students’essays reflected on their community service mission and results. See pages from winning entry (1.6MB).

Brooklyn Borough Runner Up

•Brooklyn Transition Center P 373 K
Ellery St Garden Beautification: Students reclaimed this strip of barren land last fall, removing waste and planting flowers and a tree. This spring, after dog walkers and construction scaffolding destroyed their initial efforts, students crafted signs and wrote letters asking neighbors to curb their dogs, and drew designs for new garden. See pages from winning entry (1.9MB).

Manhattan Borough & Citywide Winner

•Louis D. Brandeis High School 470
”Grounds for Improvement:”Innovative project to reduce waste by composting local stores’coffee grounds to improve soil. To research their project, students corresponded with Cornell University, NYC Parks Dept, Botanic Garden, Council on the Environment, and DSNY. Students solicited used coffee grounds through a community survey, and conducted scientific inquiry to test the effects of the coffee grounds on soil. They also planted 1000 bulbs during fall cleanup. Students prepared entry binder and included responses to the project by students, faculty, and staff. See pages from winning entry: Part 1 (5.1MB)   Part 2 (3.8MB)

Queens Borough Honorable Mention

•P 233 Q @ Beach Channel High School
”Worry Garden”on school grounds incorporated science and language arts. Students with a variety of special needs wrote letters soliciting donations from community, made oral presentations to enroll students and staff, created watering cans, learned the plant cycle, wrote books on plant maintenance and reproductive system, and used compost to plant cuttings into the donated pots they decorated. See pages from winning entry (5.1MB).

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