Amaya Harding, a student at Century High School, won the grand prize at the Maryland Department of the Environment鈥檚 24th annual 鈥淩ethink Recycling鈥� Sculpture Contest at Montgomery Park in Baltimore City. The winning entry, a flower arrangement made from plastic spoons, floral foam and Christmas light wire, was entitled 鈥淲hat We Once Enjoyed.鈥�
Students from four schools and one 4-H club, representing five counties, won the top prizes in four other categories. This year, 49 entries from 14 high schools and one 4-H club were on display. The students made their sculptures from reused materials.
鈥淭hese sculptures bring the benefits of recycling to life in a beautiful way,鈥� said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain. 鈥淲aste diversion reduces the amount of material going into landfills, and that helps us reduce greenhouse gasses and fight climate change.鈥�
The grand prize winner received a $500 Amazon gift card. The category first-place winners, each of whom received $200 Amazon gift cards, were:
Creativity: Chelsie Cunningham, Suitland High School, for 鈥淪pecimens鈥�
Workmanship: Shakeema Randolph, Suitland High School, for 鈥淟uminous Lamp Post鈥�
Use of Materials: Alana Van Ornum, Kent Island High School, for 鈥淩evival of the Ordinary鈥�
People鈥檚 Choice: Darwyn Inselman, Kent Island High School, for 鈥淐hesapeake Avian Life鈥�
The second-place winners in each category, who received $100 Amazon gift cards, were:
Creativity: Natalie Burns, C. Milton Wright High School, for 鈥淢other Nature and the Protector鈥�
Workmanship: Anvita Divvela, Damascus Community 4-H Club, for 鈥淭he Girl鈥�
Use of Materials: Cassandra Krug, Kent Island High School, for 鈥淩eal Magic Gown鈥�
People鈥檚 Choice: Jeb Grissom, Century High School, for 鈥淩ecyclesaurus鈥�
All winners also received two passes to the National Aquarium. All students and teachers who participated received a $30 Amazon gift card. Sponsors of the event were: the American Cleaning Institute; Electronics Value Recovery; the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Beverage Association; the Maryland Recycling Network, the National Aquarium; and Waste Management.
鈥淭he American Cleaning Institute is proud to continue its support of the Rethink Recycling Sculpture Contest, said Emily Trentacope, vice president of sustainability for the American Cleaning Institute. 鈥淲e鈥檙e committed to eliminating cleaning product packaging waste, and supporting recovery, reuse, and recycling systems is a big part of our roadmap to get there. We appreciate the awareness MDE brings to reducing waste and congratulate the student artists on their engagement in such an important issue.鈥�