The Catskill Chronicle

MONTICELLO, NY (May 5, 2014) – To celebrate Earth Day back on April 22, the 3^rd and 4^th grade students of the George L. Cooke participated in a “Pick your pledge and do you part!” contest, which was sponsored by “The Catskill Shopper.” The pledge involved something the student were willing to do to help Mother Earth.

Honorable Mention winners were 3^rd grader Iysis Drayton in Lauren Siegel’s class, and Kimberly Thompson’s 4^th grader David Abreu for Honorable Essay.

The two winners of the “Earth Day Contest” were Luiz Bibaj from Elyssa Olsen’s 4^th grade class and Amalia Decker from Lauren Siegel’s 3^rd grade class.

Luiz Bibaj pledged to “protect our Mother Nature. “I pledge that I will clean up the trash from the park and the sides of the roads. Make sure we turn off the water and turn it off when we brush our teeth. Plant more trees and flowers to make the garden look beautiful. Recycle soda cans, glass bottles, paper, plastic and cardboard. Donate out time to help the community clean up or beautify the town. Start a compost pile to make your own soil. Turn off lights when you leave your house, unplug electronics when they are not in use. Reduce your trash amount by recycling food and donating it or giving it to animals.”

Amalia Decker pledged: “I will recycle, reduce water consumption and not litter; I will not throw anything out my car window.”

The two winners each won a tree or a shrub from one of the sponsors:  Delaware Valley Farm & Garden, Liberty Agway Home, Garden & Pet Inc., and Monticello Farm Home & Garden. These trees or shrubs will be planted to beautify the George L. Cooke Elementary School grounds.

EPIC Coordinator Jane Sorensen was the promoter behind the contest.

In photo above are (l-r): Earth Day tree winners and honorable mentions, Amalia Decker, David Abreu and Iysis Drayton