ST. JAMES — Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD) announced that three Belle Elementary students were honored with second-place awards and honorable mentions in the 34th Annual Earth Day Poster, Trash and Graphic Art contest. This year’s contest theme was “Put Waste in Its Place.”

Recipients from Belle Elementary Students were:

• Adelyn Hopkins, 4th Grade Division, Second-Place Poster contest;

• Grayson Edwards, 4th Grade Division, Honorable Mention Poster contest; and

• Violet Jones, 3rd Grade Division, Honorable Mention Poster contest.

Belle Elementary students were under the direction of Gifted teacher Carole Moore.

“The Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District Earth Day Art Contest is in its 34th year,” Kathryn Hawes, environmental specialist, said. “We were thrilled to see so many entries in all categories including new schools and home school students participating. Artwork was displayed throughout the region’s art galleries, sponsor locations and on display at regional Earth Day celebrations.”

The contest required participants to repurpose trash into three-dimensional pieces of art or create posters (hand drawn or graphically designed), based on the year’s theme. There were 779 entries from 15 schools in the district and four home-school groups. The contest was open to kindergarten through 12th grade, home-school, college and university students who reside or attend school in Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties.

“The Earth Day contest is one of my favorite programs,” Tammy Snodgrass, MRPC’s environmental program manager, said. “The projects the kids come up with are so creative. You don’t often think of trash as a medium for artistic expression, but it’s a great way to provide environmental education to our children and increase awareness of solid waste issues.”

“Each year we are blown away by the creativity of the young minds in our region and so thankful that they have a unique way to express themselves and their care for our world,” Hawes said.

A gallery of awarded students art by grade level may be found at ozarkrivers.org/programs-and-services/earth-day. The 2025 Earth Day Contest was funded through a ORSWMD grant, made possible through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), along with donations from the following area sponsors: 63 Auto & Truck Parts, Infuze Credit Union, The Maries County Bank – Vienna, Bank of Crocker, DML LLC, Phelps County Bank – Rolla, Legends Bank – Belle, Belgrade State Bank, Bank of Salem, Security Bank of Pulaski County, First State Community Bank – Rolla and Richland and Town & Country Bank.

The Ozark Rivers District includes Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities with populations of 500 or more. Gary Larson of Dent County chairs the group. The district’s strategy for solid waste reduction, which has been individually adopted by all member governments and approved by Missouri Department of Natural Resources, involves education and increased recycling and waste reduction efforts in member counties and cities. MRPC provides the administration of the district and assists with a variety of implementation projects.

For more information about ORSWMD or waste reduction and recycling opportunities in the Ozark Rivers area, contact Tammy Snodgrass at 573-265-2993 or by email at tsnodgrass@meramecregion.org. Also, find ORSWMD on Facebook at facebook.com/ORSWMD and on the web at ozarkrivers.org. MRPC provides the day-to-day administration for Ozark Rivers.

Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. Mary Heywood, representing the unemployed, serves as MRPC chair. A professional staff of 25, led by Executive Director Bonnie Prigge, offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities.

To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at meramecregion.org or on Facebook at facebook.com/meramecregion/.