Oviatt Elementary Wins Recycling Contest-----Thanks to the Norwalk Community

Pictured from left to right:  Amy Hock (Metro Waste Authorities), Bryan Greiner (Fareway Foods), Mary Gillaspey (Metro Waste Authorities), Dave Murillo (Norwalk City Council), Jerry Fleagle (Executive Director of Iowa Grocery Industry Association), Dr. Denny Wulf (Superintendent of Schools), Julie Brincks (Oviatt Chair of Recycling Program), Dr. Laura Sivadge (PK-K Principal), and Rodney G. Martinez (1^st and 2^nd Grade Principal.)

Iowa Grocery Industry Association and Metro Waste Authority Announce Build with Bags School Challenge Winners

IGIA and Metro Waste Authority team up to stress importance of recycling
to elementary school students

November 15, 2010 – Iowa Grocery Industry Association (IGIA) and Metro Waste Authority today announced that Mitchellville Elementary in Mitchellville, Lovejoy Elementary in Des Moines and Oviatt Elementary in Norwalk won the Build with Bags School Challenge.  Each of the winning elementary schools will receive a piece of outdoor furniture made from recycled plastic for winning the challenge. 

This year the participating schools competed within three size categories: small (1-299 students), medium (300-599 students) and large (600+ students).  The small category winner, Mitchellville Elementary from the Southeast Polk School District, recycled 610 pounds of plastic shopping bags and received credit for 367 reusable bags.  Lovejoy Elementary, from the Des Moines Public School District and the medium category winner, recycled 466 pounds of plastic shopping bags and received credit for 146 reusable bags. The large category winner, Oviatt Elementary from the Norwalk School District, recycled 821 pounds of plastic shopping bags and received credit for 949 reusable bags.

Oviatt Elementary wants to say thank you to everyone who participated in this year's challenge!  Mrs. Julie Brincks has chaired this endeavor for the past two years.  Everyone’s joint efforts helped us move from last year’s 2^nd place to 1^st place this year!  Thank you to our students, their families, and community members that kept bringing the plastic bags to school so we could recycle them.  The community also used their reusable shopping bags during this challenge.  Please continue to be good role models for our children and recycle those plastic bags and bring your own bags when shopping!

In addition, Oviatt wants to thank everyone at Scott’s Foods, especially Scott Havens and Nancy Hildreth, as well as Fareway Food employees, especially Bryan Greiner because both stores took our bags to weigh and communicate with Metro Waste Authority.  They also promoted the use of reusable shopping bags to earn credit for our school during this challenge.  We could not have won without such great community support.  Norwalk Community always steps up whenever the school district needs help.

The Build with Bags School Recycling Challenge started October 4, 2010.  Twenty-nine schools competed to see whose students could recycle the most plastic bags and/or use the most reusable shopping bags over the five week period. The program was developed to educate students about the importance of recycling or reusing shopping bags while localizing America Recycles Day.

"Iowa Grocery Industry Association was proud to team with Metro Waste Authority to offer this great program to elementary schools to help teach children about the importance of recycling," said Jerry Fleagle, Iowa Grocery Industry Association President.  "IGIA launched the Build with Bags program in our stores statewide in August and this local School Challenge was a great way to bring attention to the importance of recycling the plastic shopping bags."

Tom Hadden, Executive Director of Metro Waste Authority continued, "The program received a great response from participating schools.  Our goal was to raise awareness about the issue of plastic shopping bags becoming litter, and teach skills to begin to divert that waste.  Participating schools recycled approximately 6,800 pounds of plastic shopping bags, which is equivalent to 408,000 plastic bags, in just five weeks.  Those numbers are incredible and we couldn’t be more pleased."

Participating schools that recycled at least 100 pounds of plastic shopping bags and received credit for using 75 reusable bags will get a $100 store gift card.

The plastic bag recycling challenge is in its fourth year and this is the second year that Metro Waste Authority and IGIA have partnered.  This program was successful in educating students about the importance of recycling and environmental stewardship.  Area elementary schools collected used plastic shopping bags and delivered them to their local grocery store for recycling.  The participating elementary schools got credit for the weight of the plastic bags they recycled at the stores. 

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About the Iowa Grocery Industry Association

The Iowa Grocery Industry Association is a state trade association that represents the food industry, including chain and independent supermarkets, convenience stores, mass merchandisers, wholesalers, brokers, manufacturers and distributors. Founded in 1899, the IGIA has long served as a resource to its members, the food industry and the general public through education, legislative, partnership and philanthropic programs. Headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, the IGIA can be found online at http://www.iowagrocers.com/.

About Metro Waste Authority

Metro Waste Authority (MWA) is an award-winning regional government agency that manages the Metro Park East Landfill, the Metro Park West Landfill, the Metro Compost Center, the Metro Recycling Center, the Metro Transfer Station, and the Regional Collection Center for Household Hazardous Materials.  MWA also coordinates recycling programs for its member communities and is a leader in many environmental issues in Central Iowa.  Metro Waste Authority is self-funded through fees charged to those who use the landfill and its other services.  The agency does not receive tax dollars. http://www.mwatoday.com/

About Build with Bags

The Build with Bags program is a cooperative effort of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, Keep Iowa Beautiful, Metro Waste Authority, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and The Des Moines Register. Over the course of several months, representatives of each of these organizations witnessed focus groups convened to discuss plastic bag issues and then met to develop a program aimed at demonstrating how Iowa grocers could help to reduce the environmental impact of plastic bags. In addition to reducing the environmental footprint of plastic bags, the goal of the group was also to provide an effective alternative to plastic bag bans and the unintended consequences that often result from bans and other related regulatory efforts.



From the Mentors

Bullies:  From the Mentors

When I was in elementary school, I was constantly tormented by a bully. Even now, I still find that at times I'm teased and mocked, for reasons that I can't understand. When I look back on it all, it begins to make sense to me. I was a quiet child who was not too social, and younger children don't like things that are "different." Since that was what I was, they ignored me instead of trying to get to know me. As a result of this, I grew to dislike them as they grew to dislike me. Although I was never mean to them, I did have my part in not entirely giving them a chance. As I grew older, I found my first few friends and tried to open up to people. People fear what is different, people fear what is better, people dislike what they can't have, and hate those who have it. Bullies are just expressing basic human qualities, and even though it's painful, just try to find people who appreciate you and who you can be comfortable with, and remember that bullies will eventually go, whether you graduate schools or they lose interest, etc. Friendships last a good deal longer, so spend your time seeking the company of people you like and ignoring the ones who bully you.

From Danielle
Bullies are usually people who are just as uncomfortable as you are. Usually it's hard for them to make friends and the only way to get to know other people is by bullying them. Don't worry if you are being bullied, there are a lot of things you can do. You can talk to your parents and tell them what is going on. You could also go and talk to your teacher; your teacher is there to help you with your problems. You could also try to talk to the kid, maybe the bully didn't even realize that he (or she) was hurting you.

From Paulina
Bullies just don't have anything better to do than to ruin our day. I just ignore them, and eventually they get tired of it.

Online Bullying

Bullies:  Online Bullying

A big, mean kid knocks a smaller one down in the schoolyard. A snobby girl laughs at what someone’s wearing. A group of boys trash another kid’s locker. These are obvious and classic images of bullying. As you probably know by now, they aren’t the only way to be a bully anymore.

Technology has brought a lot of really cool things to our lives: We use e-mail, Instant Messaging, message boards and blogs to stay in touch with our friends, keep up with what’s happening in the world, and just have fun. But being connected all the time leaves us open to a special kind of bully: the online bully.

Online bullying, often called online harassment, is a serious issue, and it’s getting more common. Let’s take a look:

What is it?
Online bullying can take many forms:

• Sending threatening, taunting or teasing e-mails to someone.

• Using a computer or any other tech to spread gossip or rumors, or to make someone’s private information public.

• Pretending to be another person online so you can post or e-mail things that will  embarrass or get that person in trouble.

• Being a “pretend friend” online so you can later hurt or humiliate someone.

• “Ganging up” on someone in a chat room or on a message board.

• “Griefing” someone in an online video game by constantly picking on a new or inexperienced player.

• Texting hurtful or rude comments to someone’s phone or Blackberry.

• Using chat, IM, or a blog to exclude people, pick on people, or divide the “populars” from the “unpopulars.”

Why do people do it?

It’s anonymous. The Web lets you hide behind a fake user name or alias, and many bullies feel protected by this “false identity.” Because they feel hidden and shielded, bullies might do and say things they would never dream of doing to someone face to face.

They want revenge. If a person is bullied in school, he might decide to fight back online. You don’t have to be a typical “bully” to be mean with IM or e-mail. Many tweens who are good with technology see online cruelty as a way of getting even with people who push them around in the real world.

They think everybody’s doing it. Being mean online may seem like something that kids just do…simply a part of life these days. A person may see her friends do it, and think it’s okay.

They get caught up in it. Sometimes online bullies start out small, with a funny comment or a joke. Then things slowly get out of hand. They start posting meaner and meaner things, and before they know it, they’re really hurting people with the things they write.

They don’t understand how much it hurts. When you’re cruel to someone online, you can’t see her cry, so you might not understand just how bad you’re making her feel.

What can you do?
If you feel like you’re being bullied online, try these strategies:

Don’t retaliate. If someone is mean to you online, don’t hit back. It might seem natural to give them a taste of his or her own cruelty, but this will just keep the war going.

Ignore it. Face to face, it can be very hard to “walk away” from an insult. Online, it’s actually much easier. Turn off your computer and walk away. Do not go back to Web sites or chat rooms where you’ve been bullied.

Tell an adult. Let a parent or guardian know that someone is bullying you online.
Block the bully. If someone bullies you through e-mail, block that person’s e-mail address or ISP address. If you don’t know how to do this, ask an adult to help.

More tips:

• Don’t go to Web sites that you know are unsafe or are favorite hang-outs for bullies.

• Never share private or personal information with someone you don’t know or don’t trust.

• Never post your e-mail address on a public message board or in a chat room. E-mail is only for people you absolutely trust.

• Don’t be a victim, but don’t be a bully either. Never post a comment or send an e-mail when you’re angry.

For more info and advice about online bullying, check out these Web sites:

Stop Cyberbullying
www.stopcyberbullying.org

NetSmartz
www.netsmartz.org

Remember:
Always tell a parent or other trusted adult if you feel threatened or victimized online, or if someone sends you any inappropriate violent or sexual content.

Bully-Free Zones

Bullies:  Bully-Free Zones

Do think your school does a good job of dealing with bullies? Do students get the support they need when they go to teachers or counselors with bullying problems?

If they don't, then...why not change that?

With the help of parents and community leaders, kids all over the country are making anti-bullying programs happen at their schools. Here's how to start.

Start small:

• Raise the issue of bullying with student council and try to set up a "bullying prevention" or "student respect" group. You can also get a few friends together and talk to a counselor about setting up these groups.
• Work with a guidance counselor to develop an anti-bullying workshop that can be done in your class, grade, or school-wide.

Start bigger:

• Talk to your parents about whether the school's PTA can raise the issue in meetings.
• Hold a meeting with the principal, along with any friends, parents, and teachers who support you, to talk about starting a bullying prevention program at your school.

If you have trouble getting something going at your school, you can try working with a youth group, like Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, etc., to put together a workshop for people in the community.

Great Books About Bullies

Fiction Books
Attack of the Killer Fishsticks
by Paul Zindel
A fun-loving group of fifth graders confronts the Nasty Blobs, two of the meanest kids in school, and they help a new kid run for class office.

Blubber
by Judy Blume
A classic! Jill goes along with the rest of her fifth-grade class in tormenting a classmate and then finds out what it's like when she, too, becomes a target.

The Hundred Dresses
by Elinor Estes
Wanda Petronski stands out in her class--she has a Polish name, lives in a poor part of town and has only one dress to wear to school. To defend herself against her classmates, she brags that she has one hundred beautiful dresses in her closet.

Joshua T. Bates In Trouble Again
by Susan Shreve
The third book in the "Joshua T. Bates" series. After repeating third grade, Joshua struggles to fit in as a fourth-grader. Soon Joshua's uncertainties combine with a couple of bullies to get him in trouble.

The Night The Bells Rang
by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock
During the final year of World War I, Mason's secure Vermont farm life is disrupted by Aden, a teenager who bullies him. After Aden runs away, joins the army, and is killed, Mason deals with his feelings and his confusion.

The Skin I'm In
by Sharon Flake
Thirteen-year-old African-American Maleeka has suffered through lots of teasing because of her dark complexion. Into her life walks Miss Saunders, a teacher whose rare skin condition also sets her apart.

Stepping On The Cracks
by Mary Downing Hahn
Set during World War II. When best friends Margaret and Elizabeth spy on the sixth grade bully Gordy, they discover that he is hiding his brother, Stuart, a deserter from the army.


Non-Fiction Books

LETTERS TO A BULLIED GIRL: Messages of Healing and Hope
By Olivia Gardner, Emily Buder, and Sarah Buder
Olivia Gardner is a northern California middle school girl who was subjected to merciless bullying after suffering an epileptic seizure at school. It quickly escalated when an "Olivia's Haters" page was created by classmates on a popular teen networking site. Unlike many bullying stories, OliviaÕs has a happy ending, thanks to Emily and Sarah Buder, two teenage sisters who read about Olivia's plight in the newspaper and decided to take action. Initiating a campaign to get their friends to write Olivia encouraging letters, their efforts took off beyond their wildest imaginings. This book collects some of the most powerful and inspiring of "Olivia's Letters," featuring the recollections of bullying incidents of every kind and for every reason.

Bullies Are a Pain in the Brain
by Trevor Romain (Illustrator) and Elizabeth Verdick (Editor)

Cliques, Phonies, & Other Baloney
by Trevor Romain

How to Handle Bullies, Teasers and Other Meanies : A Book That Takes the Nuisance Out of Name Calling and Other Nonsense
by Kate Cohen-Posey and Betsy A. Lampe (Illustrator)

Why Is Everybody Always Picking on Me? : A Guide to Handling Bullies
by Terrence Webster-Doyle

Bullying has been around for a really long time, but that doesn't mean it has to exist forever. Whether it's happening to you or someone else, you have the power to stop bullying now...and for the future.

Now let's look at how to deal with Online Bullying.