Winning students, their parents, guardians and teachers, and legislators with winning students in their district, were invited to attend a ceremony honoring the Litter Hawk Youth Award winners and participants.
Program judges were excited to see so many thoughtful submissions illustrating positive changes towards reducing the amount of trash found in our parks, school grounds and along our roadways.
Over 500 students participated in this year’s program.
First and second place winners in each grade level received certificates and a Litter Hawk decal.
First Place Winners:
-- Saffron Koch, Kindergarten – poster, Trumbauersville Elementary, Bucks County
-- Paislee Pliska, Grade 1 - poster, West Hempfield Elementary, Westmoreland County
-- Lili Dessler, Grade 2 - poster, Rowan Elementary, Butler County
-- Tanesha “Gia” Iyer, Grade 3 - poster, Queen of All Saints Academy, Lehigh County
-- Meradith Dillaman, Grade 4 - poster, Saegertown Elementary, Crawford County
-- Olly Declan-Kemmerer, Grade 5 - essay, Green Woods Charter School, Philadelphia
-- Olivia Levan, Mariah Posey, Aislyn Schultz, Grade 6 - video, Twin Valley Middle School, Berks County
Runners-Up Winners:
-- Abigail Kalista, Kindergarten - poster, Bishop Guilfoyle Academy, Blair County
-- Shaina KaPoor, Grade 1 - poster, West Vincent Elementary, Chester County
-- Maddie Griffin, Grade 2 - poster, Rowan Elementary, Butler County
-- Faith Hanusa, Grade 3 - poster, Ancient Paths Homeschool, Lancaster County
-- Cecilia Polvino, Grade 4 - poster, South Lebanon Elementary, Lebanon County
-- Anna May, Grade 5 - essay, Green Woods Charter School, Philadelphia
-- Juliet Reiter, Grade 6 - video, Upper Perkiomen Middle School, Montgomery County
Click Here to view winning entries and for more information about the program.
Winners will also be featured on Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Facebook.
See photos from the awards ceremony at Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Flickr page.
“Litter is gross. It pollutes streams, dirties our parks and highways, and it’s a problem that affects all of us – but it’s also something we can all do something about,” said Acting DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley. “The Litter Hawk Program is great because it is engaging kids to be good stewards and encouraging their friends, families, and neighbors to also be good stewards and help keep Pennsylvania beautiful and litter free.”
This year’s theme was-- Join the Greatest American Cleanup! Show us how you can keep your community litter free for America’s 250th birthday.
The theme is in support of the Greatest American Cleanup, Keep America Beautiful’s national three-year campaign to motivate, educate and celebrate communities to clean up and green up ahead of the Country’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026.
“Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful extends a heartfelt thank you to all the students who participated in this year's Litter Hawk Youth Award program,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “It has been incredibly rewarding to witness the thoughtful and inspiring messages in the hundreds of entries we received.
“Each project uniquely reflects the students' experiences, values, and concerns. With over 500 entries, it's clear that our youth are passionate about creating a cleaner, safer, and more beautiful Pennsylvania.
“A special thank you to the families and educators who traveled to the state capitol, making the awards celebration truly memorable. Congratulations to this year's Litter Hawks! We look forward to seeing everyone again next year,” said Reiter.
Capitol Display
Winning entries will be displayed in the East Wing Rotunda of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building in Harrisburg through April 30.
Over 60 people showed up to support and celebrate the winners and their efforts.
Shannon Reiter, President, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful; Phoebe Coles, Chair, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful; Ramez Ziadeh, Acting Executive Deputy Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection; and Christian Cassidy-Amstutz, Strategic Initiatives and Grants Manager, America250PA, provided remarks about the importance of educating youth about litter and antilittering behaviors.
Litter Hawk Award
The Litter Hawk Youth Award program is offered annually. Pennsylvania students can participate individually or as part of a lesson initiated by schools, environmental clubs, scout groups or other organized groups.
The program, funded by the Department of Environmental Protection, provides a way for students in kindergarten through grade 6 to express their concerns about litter through art, words or video.
Each participant completed a project specific to their grade level.
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, visit their YouTube Channel.
The 2025 Pick Up Pennsylvania Initiative now underway! Questions should be directed to Michelle Dunn at 1-877-772-3673 Ext. 113 or send email to: mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.
Keep PA Beautiful helps mobilize over 100,000 volunteers a year to pick up litter, clean up illegal dumping and beautify Pennsylvania.
[Posted: April 7, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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