Geneva D304 Fabyan students win top awards in IEPA contest

A poster features a talking garbage can named Bob who says reduce, reuse, recycle – and rethink – to reduce the amount of trash.

Another poster states, “If Earth could talk, it would say, ‘Slash the trash!‘”

And a poem proclaims, “If we think about what we’re buying/Our earth may stop crying/As landfills take over the planet.”

Three fifth grade students at Fabyan Elementary School in Geneva were top award winners this year in the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s annual Poster, Poetry and Prose Contest to express environmental awareness.

Avery Kirk’s talking garbage can, Finn Schott’s talking Earth posters and Emme York’s poem all made top honors in the statewide contest, following this year’s theme of “How Can You Slash Your Trash?”

Fabyan fifth grade teachers Stephanie Hennig and Tom Lawless encouraged their students to participate.

“One thing that we do in fifth grade is Fun Writing Tuesday,” Hennig said. “We have assigned curriculum. And one thing we really value is writing that is authentic. And the reason why we write – informative projects change the world.”

To participate in the IEPA competition, students focused on a nonfiction topic, such as ocean and air pollution to follow the Slash the Trash theme, Hennig said.

“We love to teach poetry,” Hennig said. “It gives them a different outlet to express writing.”

Participating in the IEPA competition allowed them to expand their artsy and creative sides.

“The kids were absolutely thrilled and dove right in,” she said. “And it was cool that it was a little competitive. We are so proud of them. ... No matter how old we are, we all make a difference.”

The IEPA allows eight entries per school, so five other Fabyan students also received recognition, Hennig said.

Honorable Mention went to Ellie Bain and Makayla Costello; and Special Recognition went to Ethan Flaks, Owen Knecht and Sophia Vitacek.

As inspiration, the teachers showed their students the first IEPA winner for poetry from their school, Ava Robinson, in 2023.