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Educational Institutions AwardsDEL CITY HIGH SCHOOL 
What started as a science field project for Del City High School students turned into a major creek cleanup effort that so impressed our judges they said it deserved national attention. After the students conducted a scientifically measured stream quality survey on Crutcho Creek adjacent to the school, the "poor" grade it received spurred them into action.
They studied floodplain maps and studied nonpoint sources of pollution. Then they worked throughout the summer to develop a work plan, collect supplies and secure funding. Finally, a week was set aside in September for cleaning a two-mile stretch of the creek, and 186 volunteers contributed hundreds of difficult hours. The results? In just one year, the creek's rating has jumped from "poor" to "good" and the diversity of organisms has increased. For turning a school science class study into a project with impressive benefits for the students and the whole community, Del City High School is good news for the waterways of Oklahoma. 
Education & Promotion: CUSHING MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASS OF '98 Cushing 
It would not be an exaggeration to say that many people in Cushing may owe their good health to the 8th graders at Cushing Middle School six years ago. Without a series of persuasive letters the students wrote to agencies and legislators, deadly hydrogen fluoride and other chemicals might still be leaking from a former refinery at the west end of town.
Kent Hancock's 8th graders wanted to know why the refinery, which had been an inactive eyesore throughout their lives, had not been cleaned up. They got busy writing letters to the DEQ, the EPA and elected officials. Aided by Glynn McCauley, a concerned local citizen, the students have been credited with calling attention to the neglected refinery which led to the removal of the hazardous chemicals, the demolition of the site, and the ongoing cleanup there.
For proving that something as simple as letter-writing can make a tremendous difference, Kent Hancock and his 8th grade Cushing Middle School Class of '98 are good news for identifying and addressing environmental risks in Oklahoma. Beautification & Landscaping: HOOKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 
Combining aspects of new signage, park benches and tables, a storage shed, landscaping and a water-conserving sprinkler system, a three-year improvement project at Hooker Elementary School has brought a sharper appearance and regional attention to the campus. 
Our judges extol the project for the excellent work by youth volunteers, and the Amarillo Globe News has named it one of the top 10 volunteer projects in the panhandle region. The elementary students raised over
half of the $20,000 budget, with the faculty and staff of the school raising another quarter of it through a variety of ways.
Everyone associated with the improvements at Hooker Elementary School deserves congratulations for their success. The schoolchildren have learned lifelong lessons about teamwork, pride, and caring for the environment, and that is clearly good news. 
 
 
 
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