The Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority hosted a competition among Whitfield County students for their artwork to be displayed on billboards that promote the importance of recycling.
Hundreds of designs were submitted and the lucky winner was Yoselin Rodriguez, an 8th grader at Eastbrook Middle School.
Rodriguez said when she found out she won, she felt a lot of joy because it would make her parents proud. She added that she loves drawing and wants to be an artist when she grows up.
Corey Orr, a science teacher at Eastbrook Middle School, said her students were really passionate about the contest.
"I was glad I was not the judge! Looking at their artwork, I was like, 'man, this is going to be tough,'" Orr said.
The competition was fierce, but both first and second place overall designs came from 8th graders at Eastbrook Middle School.
Amy Hartline with the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority said recycling rates in Whitfield County tend to be between 5-8%.
"That's how much we're putting in the recycling versus throwing away," Hartline said. "The national average is 30%, so that's our aim (goal)."
"The world is a beautiful place and the way we're destroying it with our waste is awful," said Nancy Vega, an 8th grader at Eastbrook Middle school who won second place overall in the contest. "I just think it's important that everyone knows what we're doing to the world, and what big of a difference we can make by recycling one piece of waste."
Orr said she is proud of her students for tackling this project, and that it is important for students to see their work making a difference.
"I think that when people see artistic projects, and they really look into it and see the true meaning behind it, it can change someone's perspective about something," Vega said.
