Public Education & Outreach

In order to support the mission and vision of Keep Allen Beautiful, several community events are held throughout the year including the Great American Cleanup, Allen Recycles Day and an Arbor Day Celebration. Individual education programs are also available upon request. See the 2010 Education & Outreach Guide for complete information.

Arbor Day Poster Contest

The Arbor Day Poster Contest is sponsored locally by Keep Allen Beautiful. Local winners will be recognized at the Arbor Day Celebration on Saturday, March 5, 2011 and at City Council. First Place winners in 4th & 5th Grades will have a tree planted at their school in their honor. The top three poster winners in each grade level will be forwarded to the Texas Forest Service for state level competition.

Rules for the contest:

1.) 4^th and 5^th grades are eligible for the contest. Keep Allen Beautiful will accept three entries from 4^th grade and three entries from 5^th grade from each elementary school.

2.) Maximum poster size will be 11’ x 17”, minimum size will be 8 ½” x 11”

3.) Theme “Trees are Terrific….in all Shapes and Sizes” must be lettered on the front of the poster

4.) NO student signature on the front of the poster.

5.) The top three posters from 4^th & 5^th grades are due to Kathy Keller-Mielke at City Hall by 5 pm on Friday, January 28^th.

Fourth and fifth grade students will design and create their posters according to the concepts presented in the Arbor Day Poster Contest Activity Guide. Please have the students adhere to the rules for the contest listed above. Denise Moore, City of Allen’s Urban Forester, is able to help teach the concepts to classes requesting her assistance, please contact her at dmoore@cityofallen.org

Reuse-a-Shoe Contest

Each year, Keep Allen Beautiful and The Shoe Bank host the Reuse-a-Shoe Contest! Allen ISD school campuses (K-12) compete to see which school can bring in the most gently-used shoes to donate to The Shoe Bank to be distributed to those in need. The school collecting the most pairs per capita wins the Grand Prize! Prizes are also awarded to the winning elementary, middle, or high school classroom/homeroom with the most donations per capita.

This is a great way for kids to "be green" and work together for the common good! This year's contest begins March 28 and runs through April 15. In addition, the City of Allen will run a Reuse-a-Shoe Contest in conjunction with the AISD at City Hall, the Allen Public Library, the Senior Recreation Center, Joe Farmer Recreation Center, and Don Rodenbaugh Natatorium. Contact Kathy Keller-Mielke for more details at kmielke@cityofallen.org or 214.509.4552.

Recycled Art Contest

Every year, in conjunction with Allen Recycles Day, the City of Allen and Keep Allen Beautiful host the Recycled Art Contest for AISD students. All students K-12 are invited to participate!

Click here to see a list of 2010 winners

Click here for contest rules

Kindergarten - coloring contest (download coloring page)
1st grade to 4th grade - poster contest
5th grade to 9th grade - recycled materials sculpture contest (list of City of Allen recyclable items)
10th grade to 12th grade - 60-second PSA contest

Student's name, school, grade, teacher, and contact email/phone # must be on the back of each entry. Attach this page to each entry

Top three entries per grade from each school will be displayed in the City Hall Rotunda from Monday, November 1 to Saturday, November 6, to determine city-wide winners. All participants, at the City level, will receive a certificate of participation from Keep Allen Beautiful. First, second, and third place from each grade will be awarded prizes on Saturday, November 6 at 11:00 a.m. They will also be recognized at a City Council Meeting and invited to walk with Keep Allen Beautiful in the Rotary Holiday Parade in early December.

Please contact Kathy Keller-Mielke for more information at kmielke@cityofallen.org or 214.509.4552.

Educator Resource Guide Available

Every September, the City of Allen and Keep Allen Beautiful roll out the red carpet to showcase all the FREE educational programs through the City of Allen and other county agencies. As part of the event, an annual Education & Outreach Guide is produced with information about the various education and outreach programs.

Advanced Scout Projects

The Guidelines for Advanced Scout Projects have been established in order to assist scouts in developing City-assisted projects.

Texas SmartScape®

Improve your gardening smarts even further with Texas SmartScape®!

Electronic Recycling Days

Each quarter, Keep Allen Beautiful and the City of Allen provide a safe, environmentally friendly way for Allen residents to dispose of unwanted or obsolete computers and small electronics. Recycling these items instead of sending them to the landfill saves money, conserves valuable resources, and keeps harmful elements out of our environment. The next e-waste collection is January 15, 2011 at City Hall, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (or until trucks are full). Please bring driver license and current water utility bill for proof of residency. No televisions or large kitchen appliances accepted. Freon must be certified removed. For security reasons, we recommend that any memory device is removed, wiped clean, or destroyed before dropping off at any recycling event.

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