Best in class: Students blend recycling, art, patriotism

• Students in the art club at Braelinn Elementary created a mural of the American flag using more than 3,000 recycled bottle caps. Dr. Ellen Mitchell, a teacher, worked with students to make the mural using lids from bottled water and juice drinks, and aluminum pop-tops from soda cans. Homerooms had a contest, and students collected 14,000 pop-tops and lids. Fourth-grade teacher Freda Phillips' students won free ice cream for turning in 3,209 lids. Mitchell says the leftover lids will be used in future recycled-material artworks.

• The Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District announced winners in the 2014 water essay contest, designed to challenge middle school students to think critically about water and our region's water resources. This year, students were asked to "explain why water quantity (how much water we have) and water quality (how clean the water is) are equally important." More than 1,900 students submitted essays. Districtwide winner was Emma Camp, a 7th-grader at The Walker School in Cobb County. Runner-up was Domenica Weems, a 6th-grader at Turner Middle in Douglas County. Other winners were: Atlanta, Zoie Freier, Pace Academy (grade 7); Bartow County, Payton Dunn, South Central Middle, (6); Cherokee, Eric Sabula, Mill Creek Middle, (8); Clayton, Madison Doughty, Rex Mill Middle (7); Coweta, Megan Czerwinski, Madras Middle (8); DeKalb, Miya Galloway, Cedar Grove Middle (7); Fayette, Johanna Nelson, J C Booth Middle (6); Forsyth, Kevin Quayle, Piney Grove Middle (8); Fulton, Jaeden Amiri-Owens, Fulton Science Academy (6); Gwinnett, Jacari Rowe, Couch Middle (7); Hall, Reagan Britt, North Hall Middle (7); Henry, Ben Crumbley, Woodland Middle (8); Paulding, Lydia Kenney, J A Dobbins Middle (8); and Rockdale, Noah Crafts, Memorial Middle (8).

• Three Pinecrest Academy seniors were recognized recently at the 16th Annual Atlanta Regional Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards at Georgia Tech, by The Hispanic Heritage Foundation. Honored for their accomplishments in the classroom and in their community, Andres Rodriguez won the gold award in business and entrepreneurship, Natalie Mata won the silver and Viviana Munguia won the bronze, also in business and entrepreneurship. Twenty-one Latino high school seniors from Atlanta were recognized. The nonprofit Hispanic Heritage Foundation was established in 1987 to inspire, prepare and connect minority leaders in the classroom, community and workforce.