A team of Mars Area Centennial School sixth-graders received second place in the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful 2024 Litter Hawk Youth Awards.

Sixth-graders Emma Johnston, Everly Henderson, Jacqueline Li and Mary Rhenish received the award for their video submission, “Litter Hawk — Open Your Eyes to Litter,” which sheds light on how trash affects the environment. (To view the video, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2_PGgoAKBE&t=2s.)  

More than 1,000 entries were submitted for the annual contest, which encourages students (Grades K-6) to express their concerns about litter through art, words or video. This year’s theme was “Open Your Eyes to Litter – Show Us What You See.”

All winners will received ribbons and a Litter Hawk decal and are invited to attend an Awards Ceremony, to be held Thursday, May 2, at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building (Harrisburg). The winning entries will be displayed in the Capitol’s East Wing Rotunda May 2-23.

For more information, visit www.keeppabeautiful.org/grants-awards/awards/litter-hawk/.