Sixth Grade Students Win National Award!

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Eight Lockwood sixth graders, members of Mrs. Cindy Gopp's gifted education class, have been award the 2004 Exceptional Achievement Award from Project Citizen. The students were concerned about the use of styrofoam plates in the school cafeteria because styrofoam takes 500 years to biodegrade. They decided they wanted to develop a plan to reduce the amount of use of the plates at Lockwood.

The students came up with three alternatives to solve the problem and decided on a plan that would allow students to work in the kitchen as additional staff to wash the plastic trays. By doing this, the number of styrofoam trays used went from 900 to 100 each day. Students who work in the lunch room receive an elective.

A great deal of research went into this project, which was given a state-wide award by Project Citizen and was also approved by the Lockwood School Board. In the fall of 2004, six students began working in the cafeteria. Food service manager, Shirley Briner, reports that the plan is working very well.

Through a lot of hard work, dedication, and research, the six Lockwood students have made a lasting difference to the environment and their school. For more details about their accomplishments, read the article "Environmental Elective" in the Billings Gazette.