Recycling
Wranglers Rock at Stagecoach Days
By Gail Paparian
Banning Unified School District
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“Recycling Wranglers” are
joined by Detective Alex Diaz (left), Councilman Bob Botts in cowboy
hat, Police Chief Leonard Purvis and Detective Doug Monte (right).
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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.
