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March 2007
Student Recycler Best in State
Mona Receiving her Award Jacy Bolden, California Resource Recovery Association Awards Committee chair, right; and Andrea Eaton, SDUSD recycling specialist, left; present Mona Abdi, junior at Kearny High School, with the Next Generation Recycler Award from the California Resource Recovery Association.
Mona Abdi, a junior at Kearny High Educational Complex, was chosen to receive the Next Generation Recycler Award by the California Resource Recovery Association for her efforts toward the school’s Campus Beautiful Recycling Program. This is the first time this state-level award was given to a student, and only one student in the state receives it.

The award is specifically designed to promote the next generation of recyclers in California, and will be awarded annually to young people and youth groups that clearly set themselves apart from their peers by promoting waste prevention, recycling, composting, zero waste, and buying recycled products.

Mona’s activities include helping to clean up the campus, setting up recycling bins and sorting paper from trash and bottles. She coordinated a classroom paper-recycling contest. Students that recycled the most material won a pizza party. Due to Mona’s efforts, paper recycling at Kearny has increased from about one ton per month to almost four tons per month!

“We’re happy to see her efforts rewarded. She is an outstanding student and an asset to Kearny and the district,” said Cheryl Hibbeln, principal of the Digital Media & Design School at Kearny High Educational Complex.