Salem Elementary student Charlotte Manvell's game encouraging recycling won a statewide Igniting Creative Energy Challenge contest. SUZANNE CARR ROSSI/THE FREE LANCE-STAR View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

Third-grader turns trash to treat

Salem Elementary School third-grader wins state award in a national contest

Date published: 6/16/2009

By CATHY DYSON

The speaker announced that a third-grader at Salem Elementary School was the statewide winner in a national recycling contest--and a kid in the audience gasped, "Wow."

When the speaker brought the winner, Charlotte Manvell, onstage and gave her a check for $1,000, another girl whispered: "She's my new best friend."

But the real screams began when the speaker said everyone in Charlotte's class would get a pizza party.

"Let's thank Charlotte for this wonderful day," said Principal Harold Morton.

Then he dismissed the third-graders, who returned to Robin Chilton's classroom for treats as Charlotte savored her newfound fame.

She got hugs from her parents, a cousin and both grandmothers, who attended the surprise presentation. Then Charlotte stood in front of her class for pictures, holding an oversize check that was almost as tall as she is.

"How you gonna spend all that?" classmate Kody Cadiere asked.

"Actually, it's for the school," she answered.

Charlotte was the Virginia winner of the Igniting Creative Energy (ICE) Challenge, a contest that encourages students to come up with ways to conserve energy.

It was sponsored by Johnson Controls, a Wisconsin-company that focuses on making auto interiors more comfortable and buildings more energy efficient.

Charlotte created a board game called "Recycling Rampage." It's the triangular shape of the recycling symbol, and it rewards players who toss plastic bottles or soda cans into a recycling container rather than the trash.

"We played it once in class, and it was pretty fun," Charlotte said.

She made it from recycled materials: She turned bottle caps into game pieces and old bits of cardboard into cards, on which she wrote details about how much trash ends up in the ocean or how much energy is saved by recycling one glass bottle.

The contest was judged by teachers, energy professionals and National Energy Foundation staff members.

"Charlotte's board game stood out because it shows her true innovative spirit and a creative way to teach others the importance of taking out the garbage and recycling in order to save the environment," according to a news release from Johnson Controls.

Jim Donahue, an account executive for the company, presented the award--and paid for the pizza.

Charlotte's parents, John and Mary Lee Manwell, weren't surprised that she was honored for her creativity. Her brother, Jacob, a fifth-grader, said she's also stubborn, and that the two qualities work well together.

"If she sets her mind on anything," he said, "she's going to get it done."

Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
Email: cdyson@freelancestar.com

Robin Chilton and Penny Rowley, Salem Elementary School's SCOPE teacher, praised Charlotte Manvell's math and logic skills and her ability to solve problems. The third-grader also is considerate of others, they said. That was obvious as Charlotte was being interviewed. When asked if there was anything else she wanted to mention, the 9-year-old pointed out that Chilton was named the school's teacher of the year in May. She and two classmates, Ireland Ballard and Cassii Middlestead, planned a surprise party for their teacher and brought in baked goods, balloons and games.

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Date published: 6/16/2009