News > Schools             10.19.07

Recycling Wranglers Rock at Stagecoach Days

By Gail Paparian
Banning Unified School District

During a recent meeting, Superintendent of Banning Unified School District Kathy McNamara and City of Banning Public Works Director Duane Burk recognized that collaboration between the School District and the City was a natural. Out of that meeting was born the Recycling Wranglers.

Enter Doug Monte and Alex Diaz, enthusiastic Banning Police Detectives who are in charge of KO Gangs and BPAL. The cast was rounded out with hundreds of Banning students. A successful partnership was born.

Bright yellow “Recycling Wrangler” T-shirts were produced by Burk (and funded by City and School District). Monte et al. spent a great deal of time injecting students with enthusiasm for the project.

“It worked,” said Detective Monte. “There were over 325 volunteers (some parents joined in) during the four-day Stagecoach Days event including cleaning up after the parade,” Monte said.

While the full diversion from the waste stream data isn't available yet, Monte reported that seven 90-gallon trash cans filled with plastic bottles and aluminum cans were separated from the waste stream and will be redeemed for cash.

“One 40-foot Waste Management dumpster was already half filled by Sunday morning with no end in site,” Monte said.

Each student participant was given what will surely become a collector's item the bright Recycling Wranglers tee shirt. The City's Duane Burk reported that he had 300 shirts made way beyond what they expected and they had already been dispensed by early Saturday afternoon.

After serving their shifts (the youngsters worked in teams; usually accompanied by an adult), students were given a pizza lunch and a wristband to admit them to the carnival. Many youngsters returned to serve multiple shifts, and as Monte reported, Wranglers were heard to comment, “This is so much fun!”

Superintendent McNamara spent time at Dysart Park in the District's booth answering questions and dispensing information to parents, students and people who were glad to see the School District represented.

McNamara said, “I am so proud of the students, they were highly visible, exhibiting positive behavior which definitely affected a productive outcome.”

McNamara was receiving lots of positive feedback as she staffed the District's booth at A.C. Dysart Park. She noted that many of the parents were working with the kids.

One mother of four told McNamara that she thought that kids' learning to recycle was a great program. She also admitted that she could not have afforded to take all of her children to the event. Having the kids gain free admission to the events as repayment for their work allowed many to attend, who otherwise could not have been there.

Superintendent McNamara further noted that the special tee shirts for the Recycling Wranglers gave them their own identify and helped them be part of a special “posse.”

Not only did youngsters get positive exposure to why we should recycle, they will be further benefit by their efforts. Proceeds from the recycling Š will be recycled back in the form of cash to BPAL programs. It is a win-win for all involved.