For immediate release
April 18, 2000

Recycling Council of Ontario names
Quinte as Outstanding Secondary School

    At the 1999 Ontario Waste Minimization Awards, April 17, the Recycling Council of Ontario presented Quinte Secondary School with the award for Outstanding Secondary School. Quinte was one of three finalists in the category.
    Since 1984, the Recycling Council of Ontario (RCO) has been formally recognizing businesses, municipal governments, organizations and individuals for outstanding achievements in waste reduction and more efficient use of natural resources. The award for Outstanding Secondary School recognizes school programs with proven success in waste reduction, reuse and recycling. It's open to all schools in the province. Special consideration is given to programs that demonstrate a high degree of student participation, have a strong educational component and have obvious, practical results.
    The program at Quinte Secondary School received recognition for their strong student participation and the educational links of the program. The Grade 11 environmental class at Quinte took full responsibility for the recycling program at the school. The effort doubled the amount of recyclables diverted from the waste at Quinte Secondary School. The student driven program included, recycling, waste audits, Wasteless Wednesdays, outdoor composting and vermi-composting. Students motivated students by offering weekly awards for best class blue box and an end of semester grand prize. Students even took their environmental leadership into the community by participating in the Moira River Clean Up and doing presentations in elementary schools to educate younger students on the ways they can reduce their impact on the environment.
    Teacher, Missi Waite and environmental student Amy Wilson were on-hand Monday evening to accept the award on behalf of Quinte Secondary School. The Outstanding Secondary School award came with a $1,500 prize sponsored by Alcan International Limited.
 

For more information contact:
Missi Waite, teacher, Quinte Secondary School, 962-9295