Published March 4, 2007

Catholic Schools Win Big in Paper Drive Contest

By Eileen Dugan
Sooner Catholic

The old saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” certainly rings true for two Catholic schools. Two years ago, Sacred Heart Catholic School in El Reno won $800, while last year, Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic School in Oklahoma City took home $300 in winnings in a paper recycling contest that pits school against school.

The contest is sponsored by Abitibi Consolidated, a paper manufacturer.

According to Abitibi Consoli-dated’s estimates, nonprofit organizations, including public and private schools from throughout the United States and Canada, each year save “6.5 million cubic yards of landfill space in North America and the United Kingdom” by participating in the recycling program. For their efforts, the firm pays out “more than $3.1 million to the same nonprofits for their scrap paper.”

For Catholic schools like Sacred Heart and Saint Charles Borromeo, taking part in these recycling contests has been a win-win situation. The schools raise money and they protect the environment at the same time.

Sacred Heart School has 100 students, preschool through sixth grade. Two years ago, they all participated in the contest, which took place Jan. 1 through March 30. Students and parishioners brought in waste paper from home and put it in the bin in the school’s parking lot, Principal Shannon Statton said.   

“We also recycled paper from the classrooms, things like catalogues used for ordering textbooks. We shredded the paper and put that in the bin, too. We won first place for the most paper collected in the Oklahoma City metro area for all schools with one bin. We used the $800 prize money to buy basketball poles and baskets for the parking lot,” Statton said.

Sacred Heart recycles all year long. Collection bins are emptied once a month and for this the school receives a check ranging from $50 to $150.

“This money goes toward the school’s general operating costs. Last month, we made $100,” Statton said. “Sacred Heart students are very  conscious about recycling. They even recycle their homework. They show it to their parents and then bring it back. We shred it and put the paper in the bin. I’m very proud of them.”

Last year, when Abitibi held its Great Paper Drive, Saint Charles Borromeo School received $300 for coming in second in the Oklahoma City private school with one bin category. Student Council faculty representative Mary Thele said Saint Charles has a student body of approximately 250 students. These young people and their parents collected newspapers, magazines, junk mail, paper bags and other recyclable papers, putting them in the recycling bin in the school’s parking lot. Like Sacred Heart, they recycled paper for the entire school year, not just the contest months.

“We also recycled paper in the classrooms. All waste paper in each classroom was put in a recycling box. Once a week an eighth-grader would collect it and take it to the bin,” Thele said.

Each school in the paper contest received money for the waste paper they collected that month in their bin. “We averaged $15 a month,” Thele said. “Our biggest check was for $20, which was at the end of last year when we were cleaning things out. In all, last year, we collected 65,000 pounds of paper.”

This  year,  Abitibi  has  restructured its contests. Now, instead of competing against other schools, each school competes against itself. The school with the largest percentage of improvement wins.

 For more information about the Abitibi Great Paper Drive, contact Abitibi’s local representative at (405) 232-7100 or visit its Web site at www.paperretriever.com.