Eight Penn Hills students received scholarships after winning an essay contest from the Penn Hills Anti-Litter Group. In total, $900 was given to the students, with prizes ranging from $50-$250.

Students were asked to write a 300-500 word essay with the prompt: “Research and write about at least one compelling fact about the negative impact litter has on our environment … Then, provide some steps that you could take now to reduce the impact of the compelling fact that you wrote about. Please describe each step you would take and explain how each step works to reduce the negative impact litter has on our environment.”

The winners were invited to a dinner hosted by PHALG on April 28. It featured speakers including Penn Hills mayor Pauline Calabrese, PHLAG founder and administrator Faith Milazzo, and Rob Dubas, program coordinator of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

“As a Penn Hills resident myself, I was excited to read what the students had to say about litter,” said Dubas. “I was impressed with their essays and learned about some new resources. I hope they continue to spread the message about how litter and trash hurt our communities.”

Coming in first place for the grades 9-10 competition was ninth-grader Emma Macioce. An excerpt from her essay reads: “Cleaning up all the litter on our planet is a very hard logistical task that may take generations and centuries to fully accomplish, but there are lots of smaller things you and I can do at home and in our communities to reduce the amount of litter and the negative impacts that it brings. Cleaning your yard and going outside even for a couple minutes each day can help establish a positive relationship with neighbors which creates the sense of community.”

Samantha Yee, an 11th-grader, won the 11-12 grade competition. She wrote about inspiring others to do even the little things to help make the planet Earth a cleaner place.

“When walking through school hallways and outside,” wrote Yee in her essay, “pick up pieces of litter that you see. Carry a small bag to hold trash until you can empty it into a trash can or recycling bin. Instead of staying inside for a gym class, weather permitting, take students outside to walk the grounds to collect trash scattered around the school. They may not have the power to clean the oceans, but they have the power to improve the conditions around the school that they see every day.”

The full list of winners and their scholarship amounts is:

Grades 9-10

First place: Emma Macioce (9th grade): $250

Second place: Makenna Carricato (10th grade): $100

Honorable Mentions: Todd Bishop (9th grade): $50

Amor Boswell (9th grade): $50

Grades 11-12

First place: Samantha Yee (11th grade): $250

Second place: Leah Robbins (11th grade): $100

Honorable Mentions: Kiylei Holloway (12th grade): $50

Krista Hopkins (11th grade): $50

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)