2006 Golden Apple Awards Winners

The NYC Department of Sanitation’s 2006 Golden Apple Awards program included the following three school contests.

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

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

• TrashMasters! Team Up to Clean Up: Acknowledges schools exhibiting the most extensive and original cleanup and beautification projects. Also, the New York Restoration Project selects a Rose Award winner from entries in all grade divisions for a school with a notable vision for a beautification project.

Prize Money: Citywide Winner ($6,000), Borough Winner ($3,000), Borough Runner-Up ($1,500), and Honorable Mention ($750), Notable Mention (no cash prize).

Judging: For each contest, schools submit binders that describe their completed projects. A judging committee reviews and scores all the submitted binders. To receive an award, 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, appear below; bold text indicates Citywide Winners. In some cases, PDF files containing scanned pages of winning entries are included. Read the DSNY press release announcing the 2006 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.

Outstanding recycling programs with school-wide involvement and support

Elementary School Division
Intermediate School Division
High School Division

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DIVISION

Brooklyn Borough Winner ($3,000)

• Roberto Clemente PS 19
  In "Keep Recycling Real" project, school created and implemented a plan to establish a successful recycling program despite inherent obstacles. The project met standards through related coursework in every subject, field trips, persuasive letters, speakers, and worm bin composting. School brought in outside organizations to help educate students about environmental issues. See pages from winning entry (4.5MB).

Queens Borough & Citywide Winner ($6,000)

• Ramon Suarez PS 239
  In "Small Changes, Big Impact: The Cafeteria is a Classroom, Too!", this school made outstanding use of DSNY's NYC Teachers' RRResource Kit curriculum and related information to start and support a successful, school-wide recycling program. Their model project built awareness through videos, poster contest, comics, and writing. The project demonstrated collaborative effort among teachers, students, administration, and custodial staff. See pages from winning entry (4.2MB).

Queens Borough Runner-Up ($1,500)

• David Porter PS 94
  The "Recycling Love Story" project showed the school's continuing support of their model recycling program through cross-curriculum education and the arts. Fifth graders mentored third graders and taught other schools how to recycle. Annual school play presented benefits of recycling in a creative production. Admirable cooperation of custodial staff and administration. See pages from winning entry (4 MB). 

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INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DIVISION

Brooklyn Borough Honorable Mention ($750 each)

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HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

Brooklyn Borough Notable Mention (no cash prize)

• E R Murrow High School
  Students in Special Education department, along with Environmental Club, initiated school's recycling program, educating staff and peers. Students met regularly with administration and custodial staff; inventoried needs; presented program in every classroom; created flyers; and established a system for communicating problems. See pages from winning entry (1.2MB).

Manhattan Borough Honorable Mention ($750)

• High School for Environmental Studies
  Last year's 2005 Super Recyclers Citywide winner, this school's recycling team weighed and graphed the amount of recyclables collected. Students prepared and presented a PowerPoint presentation on recycling to school staff, and promoted practical ways to reduce paper use. Students also composted, and removed invasive plants at a local park. See pages from winning entry (2.8MB).

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Most innovative waste prevention practices

Elementary School Division
Intermediate School Division
High School Division

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DIVISION

Brooklyn Borough Winner ($3,000)

Queens Borough & Citywide Winner ($6,000)

• Ramon Suarez PS 239
  The school's "Small Changes, Big Impact: Reuse your Refuse!" project reduced paper consumption by making creative use of technology, such as SMART Boards, paperless pledges, and computer scanning. Their science fair Invention Convention required reused materials. They also conducted a used clothing donation drive, and began composting. See pages from winning entry (3.9MB).

Queens Borough Runner-Up ($1,500)

• Alexander Graham Bell PS 205
  The school completed various "Reach out to Reduce, Reuse & Recycle" projects, including a book drive for New Orleans, cell phones for soldiers (sold phones to buy phone cards), and saving paper by folding sheets into reusable envelopes. See pages from winning entry (4.2MB).

Queens Borough Honorable Mention ($750)

• David Porter PS 94
  The school's "One Man's Garbage is Another Man's Treasure" initiative included worm & beetle composting of lunchroom waste, as well as "pink elephant" sale to raise funds for charity. School continued to create new items for their award-winning Cozy Comfort pillow industry, where students sell pillows that are made from donated materials and stuffed with shredded classroom paper. This exemplary project is featured in the NYC Department of Education's manual for applied learning standards. See pages from winning entry (4.1MB).

Staten Island Borough Winner ($3,000)

• Graniteville School PS 22
  Through their "Art of Reducing and Reusing" project, the school continued to find unique ways to reuse or recycle items not collected by the NYC Department of Sanitation. The school conducted research to find artists and recyclers; ran collection drives for requested materials; and graphed results. See pages from winning entry (1.6MB).

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INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DIVISION

Brooklyn Borough Honorable Mention ($750)

• John Ericsson JHS 126
  The school's "Compost the Most" project showed how seventh and eighth graders continued to compost cafeteria waste, adding classroom soda-bottle composting. Students weighed compostable materials and calculated potential impact citywide if all schools composted. See pages from winning entry (2.9MB).

Queens Borough & Citywide Winner ($6,000)

• P 233 @ 827
  The school's "Let's Find Another Use" initiative engaged staff, parents, and students to examine where reuse is possible. Projects included a clothing donation drive, book swap, reused art projects, and efforts to eliminate Styrofoam. In completing these projects, students with significant cognitive delays learned to operate large appliances and master daily living skills. See pages from winning entry (2.5MB).

Queens Borough Honorable Mention ($750)

• IS 87 Q
  School completed various projects, such as a campaign to reduce plastic consumption at home, reusing items for art projects, and printer cartridge and cell phone recycling. Seventh & eighth graders created posters to raise environmental awareness throughout the school. See pages from winning entry (2.2MB).

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HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

Brooklyn Borough Winner ($3,000)

• Roy Campanella OTC P721K
  In "Paper Savers: Reduce and Reuse", students with developmental disabilities met various learning standards as they visited the Visy paper recycling mill, wrote descriptions, and operated heavy machinery to turn scrap paper into gummed pads for in-house forms. See pages from winning entry (2.1MB).

Queens Borough Honorable Mention ($750)

• P 233 Q @ 875
  "School Effort to Reduce, Reuse & Recycle" focused on reducing paper use and encouraged proper recycling at school and at home. Students collected classroom paper and used shredding equipment to create animal bedding. See pages from winning entry (2.5MB).

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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 Winner ($3,000)

• P 369 K @ 67 Coy L Cox School
  The Art Teacher engaged this entire school in creating "Our America" wall painting from donated materials. All teachers in every subject area developed lesson plans that tied into the mural and met a wide range of Department of Education standards. See pages from winning entry (3.3MB).

Manhattan Borough & Citywide Winner ($6,000)

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt PS 34
  The school's "FDR Children's Garden" restored a rubble heap to create a historic children's garden, combining horticulture and history. The school worked with various community organizations and professionals, even inviting Eleanor & Franklin Roosevelt's great-granddaughter to rededicate their tree, originally planted by Eleanor Roosevelt. See pages from winning entry (1.6MB).

Queens Borough Winner ($3,000)

• Alexander Graham Bell PS 205
  The school's "To Help Out One Hand at a Time" project demonstrated how their science program continues to improve and beautify their outdoor space, using their multiple gardens as the springboard for cross-curriculum projects. See pages from winning entry: Part 1 (4.3MB); Part 2 (3.5MB).

Queens Borough Runner-Up ($1,500) & New York Restoration Project Rose Award Winner

• P 224 @ 26Q Rufus King School
  "Healthy Seeds in Healthy Soil" conducted projects from science to health in the school's outdoor space over four seasons. Horticultural projects included composting, organic gardening, beneficial insects, planting bulbs and fruit. Their cleanup initiative reclaimed the school's side garden. See pages from winning entry (3.2MB).

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INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DIVISION

Queens Borough & Citywide Winner ($6,000)

• Chris Galas PS 47
  "Xtreme Makeover, School Edition: School Facelift." The seventh, eighth, and fifth graders of this school explain how they researched and repainted their outside school wall, tested soil, and redefined the existing garden, and conducted an anti-litter poster campaign. See pages from winning entry (2.8MB).

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HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

Bronx Borough Honorable Mention ($750)

• Bronx Expeditionary Learning High School
  Submitted a proposal to reclaim school land by creating a "Colonial Kitchen Garden". This project plans to address multiple subject areas, incorporating history and horticulture with environmental education. See pages from winning entry (1.3MB).

Brooklyn Borough Honorable Mention ($750)

• W E B DuBois High School
  Over-age under-credited high school students researched native species and planted myrtle in side garden, and transplanted ivy for staff gifts. Students will also clean up and plant annuals in local gas station planters. See pages from winning entry (1.5MB).

Staten Island Borough & Citywide Winner ($6,000)

• St Joseph Hill Academy
  Students completed an impressive array of hands-on projects, including graffiti removal, beach cleanup, ongoing involvement as Junior Friends of Clove Lake Park; and sweepstakes to encourage families to participate in DSNY's fall leaf collection program. See pages from winning entry (3MB).

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