Beautification Projects Grants Announced For Local Schools

Grant Applications Now Open

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is pleased to announce the availability of School Beautification Grants for Fall 2020. The committee for Beautification and Community Greening has established mini-grants in celebration of National Planting Day. Beautification grants may range from a minimum of $100 to a maximum of $400.

Previous Grant Winner, Dalton Middle School, poses before receiving their check.

Public and private schools in the Dalton, GA and Whitfield County area are invited to apply for funding that can help implement a project related to planting native plants. A school club, a single classroom, whole grade level or the entire school may organize a project and apply for a grant.

National Planting Day is celebrated annually by Keep America Beautiful in the fall as an opportunity to encourage volunteers to plant native species restoring ecological balance to the environment while creating greener, more beautiful communities. Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is making these grants available to improve the visual aspects of our community through projects that beautify and clean the environment.

Knowing that children play a very important part in making this happen we want them to reap the benefits by participating in a project for their very own school. Beautification projects could include establishing or supporting a school garden, planting flowers in an outdoor space, or using plants for educational purposes.

Grant applications must be submitted online no later than October 23rd at www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org using the form on the Beautification Grant Application page.  Previous projects can be seen on the School Beautification Projects Page. 

For questions regarding the form or any aspects of your proposed project call executive director Amy Hartline at 706-278-5001.  Grant winners will be announced on October 30, 2020.  Projects should take place in the fall and be completed no later than Tuesday, January 19, 2020. At the end, grantees will submit a short project summary that will include volunteer hours, actual costs, list of other organizations involved, evaluation of project meeting the goal/purpose intended, and before and after photos. 10% of the grant will be held by Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful until the report is submitted. Certificates of participation for students are available upon request - a list of student names must be sent in with the summary.

Billboard Design Contest Winner for 2018 Announced

Ms. Martinez’s design includes the phrase “I want to be recycled!” one of the themes of the contest. The artwork is an illustration of recyclables lining up to jump into a recycling bin. They are happy and excited to be turned into new, useful objects instead of being wasted.

Valley Point Middle School 6th grader, Alicia Martinez, is the overall winner of the 2018 America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest hosted by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority’s program Target Recycling at School. The winning design will be displayed on two billboards in Whitfield County (one on Cleveland Hwy., and the other on E. Walnut Ave.) during the month of November.

The billboard design contest, now in its ninth year, has a 1st place winner from each grade level including 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. The three winners, listed below, received a certificate of participation and a gift bag with items made from recycled materials. The first place overall, who is the winner of the billboard, was selected from the first-place design from each grade level.

Winners for 2018

The winners all from Valley Point Middle that placed in the America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest for 2018. From left to right: Alicia Martinez, Rhonda Burdette filling in for Javier Ayabar, and Javiar Torres.

·         1st Place in 6th grade and Overall Winner –Alicia Martinez, Valley Point Middle School

·         1st Place in 7th grade – Javier J. Torres, Valley Point Middle School

·         1st  Place in 8th grade - Javier Ayabar–, Valley Point Middle School

Target Recycling at School provides recycling collection services and environmental education opportunities to schools in Whitfield County. For more information, call 706-278-5001 or visit www.DWSWA.org.

America Recycles Day is a community-driven event dedicated to promoting recycling awareness, commitment, and action in the U.S. thru its partnership with Keep America Beautiful. It’s celebrated annually on November 15. For more information on recycling, and to take the pledge to #BeRecycled visit www.AmericaRecyclesDay.org. 

2018 School Beautification Grant Winners

(Dalton, GA, September 21, 2018) – Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is pleased to announce the winners of the third annual School Beautification Grants for 2018. The committee for Beautification and Community Greening established the grant program in celebration of National Planting Day, which took place September 8 and is celebrated through the end of October.

Public and private schools in the Dalton, GA and Whitfield County were invited to apply for funding to implement a project related to planting native plants and beautifying the community. Each project aims to improve the visual aspects of the facility or provide an educational opportunity related to plants. The grants range from $250 to $500 which encompassed $83 to each team of one grade.

This year the following five schools were awarded a grant for their National Planting Day project:

1.    Coahulla Creek High School: Creating the Captivating Courtyard of Coahulla Creek

2.    New Hope Middle School: Georgia Native Plants Beautification Project

3.    Park Creek Elementary School: Berry Beautiful

4.    Morris Innovative High School: MIHS Pep Club Garden and Picnic Area

5.    Dalton Middle School: Team Trees

Projects will be completed by December 3 and each recipient will submit a project summary by December 21 to showcase their work. Visit Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful’s website www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org or follow them on Facebook to get updates on the progress of these projects.  

National Planting Day is celebrated annually by Keep America Beautiful in the fall as an opportunity to encourage volunteers to plant native species restoring ecological balance to the environment while creating greener, more beautiful communities. Learn more about this event at www.kab.org.

Billboard Design Contest Winner for 2017 Announced

The winning billboard design by Lily Woodring will be placed at two locations in Whitfield County during the month of November in celebration of America Recycles Day. The theme for her design is “I recycle! Do you?”. 

(Dalton, GA, October 24, 2017) – Valley Point Middle School 7th grader, Lily Woodring, is the overall winner of the 2017 America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest hosted by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority’s program Target Recycling at School. The winning design will be displayed on two billboards in Whitfield County (one on Glenwood Ave., and the other on E. Walnut Ave.) during the month of November.

Ms. Woodring’s design, which was chosen out of 106 entries, includes the phrase “I recycle! Do you?” one of the themes of the contest. The artwork is an illustration of the Earth surrounded by smiling bottles, cans, and paper holding hands with a girl. They’re joining together to make the Earthy happy by recycling which results in the conservation of natural resources.

The billboard design contest, now in its eighth year, has a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner from each grade level including 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. The nine winners, listed below, received a certificate of participation and a gift bag with items made from recycled materials. The first place overall, who is the winner of the billboard, was selected from the first-place design from each grade level.

6th grade winners for 2017

Eastbrook Middle School 6th graders placed in the America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest for 2017. From left to right: Ismael Pimentel, 2nd place; Melanie Figueroa, 3rd place,and Ruby Carrillo, 1st place. 

7th grade winners for 2017

Valley Point Middle School 7th graders placed in the America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest for 2017. From left to right: Javier Ayabar, 3rd place, Lily Woodring 1st place; Ashlay Zamora, 2nd place. 

8th grade winners for 2017

Eastbrook Middle School 8th graders placed in the America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest for 2017. From left to right: Rocio Arredondo, 1st place, Yosdel Castañeda, 2nd place, and Isaac Fraire, 3rd place.

6th grade:

• 1st Place – Ruby Carrillo, Eastbrook Middle School
• 2nd Place – Ismael Pimentel, Eastbrook Middle School
• 3rd Place – Melanie Figueroa, Eastbrook Middle School

7th grade:

• 1st Place and Overall Winner – Lily Woodring, Valley Point Middle School
• 2nd Place – Ashlay Zamora, Valley Point Middle School
• 3rd Place – Javier Ayabar, Valley Point Middle School

8th grade:

• 1st Place – Rocio Arredondo, Eastbrook Middle School
• 2nd Place – Yosdel Castañeda, Eastbrook Middle School
• 3rd Place – Isaac Fraire, Eastbrook Middle School

Target Recycling at School provides recycling collection services and environmental education opportunities to schools in Whitfield County. For more information, call 706-278-5001 or visit www.DWSWA.org.

America Recycles Day is a community-driven event dedicated to promoting recycling awareness, commitment, and action in the U.S. thru its partnership with Keep America Beautiful. It’s celebrated annually on November 15. For more information on recycling, and to take the pledge to #BeRecycled visit www.AmericaRecyclesDay.org. 

America Recycles Day Billboard Contest Announced for Fall 2017

The 8th Annual America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest is underway. Pictured is the winning design for 2016 designed by Madison Powell, an 8th grader from Valley Point Middle School.

The Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority is pleased to announce the 8th Annual America Recycles Day Billboard Contest for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders attending public or private schools participating in the Target Recycling at School program in Whitfield County. 

Students are invited to design a billboard in keeping with the spirit of America Recycles Day, which is celebrated yearly on November 15. The top design out of the three grade levels will be displayed during the month of November on two billboards in Whitfield County.

Schools in Whitfield County eligible to participate include Eastbrook Middle, New Hope Middle, North Whitfield Middle, Valley Point Middle, Westside Middle, Dalton Middle, Northstar School, Crossroads Academy, Christian Heritage School, and Learning Tree School.

During the 2016 contest, Valley Point Middle School 8th grader, Madison Powell, won first place overall. Her design, chosen out of 91entries includes the phrase “I want to be recycled” which was one of the themes of the contest. The artwork is eye catching and very colorful showing an aluminum can that is dreaming of being recycled into a rocket ship traveling in outer space.

(See previous winning billboard designs here.)

Themes for this year are, “I recycle! Do you?” and “I recycle with Recycling Ben!” First, second, and third place prizes will be given in each of the three grade levels. The grand prize is chosen from the three first place winners. 

The Contest Guide with two versions of the official entry form can be downloaded at www.DWSWA.org. The deadline for entries is October 16, 2017. There is no entry fee, however, an official entry form needs to be included with the artwork. Only artwork submitted directly from a school representative will be accepted. Winners will be announced on October 23. 

For more information contact Liz Swafford, Recycling and Education Program Coordinator, at 706-278-5001 or e-mail: lswafford@dwswa.org. To learn more about America Recycles Day visit www.americarecyclesday.org.