AT BOLIVIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
School-Industry Partnership
Promoting Environmental Education
BY M VRIORIK MKdIVKRN
Pupils ai Bolivia Elementary
School arc in a new partnership with
a neighbor.
DuPont's Cape Fear site in
Leland helped students celebrate
Earth Day belatedly last week, start
ing them on a good environmental
habit with a sturdy 90-gallon cart for
collecting rccyclablcs.
The industry also gave Bolivia
Schixil a young flowering Bradford
pear tree, planted last Wednesday in
front of the school, and funding for
further beauufication of the school
grounds.
Principal David Corley calls it a
"cooperative partnership," and the
contribution by teachers and stu
dents was at least a week of class
room time devoted to environmental
matters and the sum of a recycling
program. Kids were asked to bring
newspapers from home, and those
who did were treated to ice cream
on May 4. declared Ice Cream Day
by DuPont. which provided the
treat.
"DuPont is serious about doing
more than its share about the envi
ronment," said Twig Wiggins, the
company's developmental resource
representative, visiting the school
for the tree-planting. "We recycle
paper, cans and all our processes,
and we have reduced our emissions
every year."
With the installation of scrubbers
and other state-of-the-art equipment,
DuPont has brought down emissions
from 8.25 million pounds in 1987 to
four million pounds in 1992. The
volume of solid waste to the landfill
fell in one week from 25,000 pounds
to 10.000 pounds.
Now the industry hopes to influ
ence the environmental education of
children, as well.
"Classroom teachers were told to
use this opportunity presented by
DuPont," said Corley, "as a vehicle
to promote awareness of the impor
tance of cleaning up the environ
ment. Each teacher did this in a dif
ferent way."
Jenni Johnson's fourth graders
were surrounded by posters, recy
cling demonstrations and papers
they had written on the subject.
Asked how they have been observ
ing Earth Day, everyone had a dif
ferent answer.
A FIjOWERING PEAR tree will grace the front lawn of Bolivia
Elementary School. A gift of DitPont Cape Fear site, the tree is be
ing planted by fourth graders (from left) Dominique Wilson , James
Connolly, Nicholas Ixish and Ilillie Hewett.
"I pick up trash," said Roy James,
"because it looks bad." while Jeffrey
Alcorn reported that every class
member collected news articles
about recycling. Ashley Sullivan
told how the class kept a daily
record of recycling efforts at home,
and Arnica Galloway described the
beginnings of a newspaper being put
together by one group. "We're writ
ing about recycling," she said.
Johnson said her class had won
the banner for three straight months
as the lop class in can collection.
"One of my students brought in
1,200 cans one day," she said. "Her
folks flattened them by rolling over
a bagful with a truck."
Bolivia kids are writing about the
environment, reading and talking
about it in classrooms and tiiey are
seeing conservation efforts modeled
in their front yard by an area indus
try. More importantly, they are
working at it with an effort that will
continue, Corley said, long beyond
the tree-planting and even Ice
Cream Day.
Their studies will culminate with
BEAR Day May 8, from 8:30 a.m.
to 1 1 a.m.
m
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STAfF PHOTOS BY MAJUORIE MtGIVMN
JENNI JOHNSON'S class concentrates on the environment, with essays, art work, can collection and
other activities. Gathered around a pollution exhibit with Johnson are (from left ) Ashley Sullivan,
Arnica Galloway, Steven Varnam, Tony Turner, Krufus Randolph and Tabitha Cord ray.
Southport's In Running For
'92 'All -American' Competition
Southport residents and officials
are excited about news just received
that their town is among 30 finalists
in the All-American Cities competi
tion, sponsored by Allstate Insur
ance and the National Civic League.
Out of 14 1 towns across the coun
try, 30 were chosen to make formal
presentations June 4 through 6 in
Charlotte. From that group 10 will
receive the All-American Cities des
ignation for 1992.
Jo Ann Wesson's agency is one
of the reasons for Southpon's inclu
sion. She is executive director of
Southport 2000, the rcvitalization
corporation that has spawned the
Main Street project, focusing on his
toric preservation and economic re
structuring in the town.
"We're really pleased to be in the
running, as the smallest town of the
group," she said. Southpon's popu
lation is 2,385.
Seven other North Carolina towns
were among the 141 entries, includ
ing Jacksonville, Boone, Elkin,
Gamer, Elizabeth town, Wilson and
the Piedmont Triad. Only Jackson
ville joins Southport as a finalist.
"The criteria they're looking for
have to do with community pro
jects," Wesson explained. "In our
application, we discussed the Main
Street project, our urban design
planning and the Maritime Museum,
which is in progress."
An architect provided by the
American Institute of Architects do
nated his services in designing a
Southport of the future, according to
Wesson, but only after considerable
input from community meetings and
from organizations in the town.
"The whole purpose of the Ail
American Cities competition is to
find towns that are trying to plan
ahead and better themselves with
community involvement, not de
pending on government help to do
it," Wesson said.
She and town officials have not
decided what form Southport's 10
minute presentation in June will
take, Wesson said, but it will include
slide scenes of the town and artifacts
from the prospective museum.
NationsBank Customer
Appreciation Week.
We're very proud that so many of you have
put your trust in us, and we want you to know
just how much we appreciate your business.
So please stop by and let us say a special
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"My customers are the
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Tm glad we are tailing this
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We appreciate your business every day, so
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We'll be serving refreshments and holding
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We work hard for you because at
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NationsBank
OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF THE
1992 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM
USA
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