West Middle and East Middle Face Off in a Box Tops Competition

Starting May 1, East Middle School and West Middle School began a month-long face off to collect the most box tops for their school and parent teacher organization (PTO).

The school with the most box tops per student wins, and the principal of the losing school will have to wear spirit wear from the winning school and proclaim that the winning school "rocks."

Box tops can be found on certain General Mills products. The company will pay 10 cents toward education-related projects for each box top collected. 

Mary Bendel-Simso, West Middle School’s box tops coordinator, is the originator of Box Tops competitions in West Middle and is excited to promote this competition between the two middle schools.

“What inspires middle-schoolers more than competition?” Bendel-Simso said.

Last year, West Middle School submitted $1,153.33 worth of box tops.

West Middle has already collected $2,396.92 worth of box tops this year, largely due to a contest that was promoted among the students Nov. 26- Jan. 4. 

For that contest students competed by homeroom for a chance to win a pizza party.  Winners were determined from each grade.  By the end of the contest West Middle students submitted a total 16,380 box tops, earning $1,680 in cash for West Middle.  The money will be used to buy new equipment for the West Middle news room.

The East Middle PTO took over the box tops program this school year and will retain the money to help support its programs and school support efforts.

The PTO also sponsored a box tops contest at East Middle this past January.  One of two teams for 6th grade won extra recess time for collecting over 1,200 box tops and labels. Many of the East Middle teachers also support the program, offering their own incentives per grade and classroom.  

Last year East Middle collected $654.70 worth of box tops.  So far this school year the students have collected $911.94 worth, thanks in large part to the contest. 

During the May box tops competition between East and West Middle, each school will announce their weekly progress and will also chart their progress on a thermometer poster.  

Both schools strongly encourage the community to get involved, collecting box tops and labels and giving them to a student that they know, or, mailing them directly to the school.

There are a large variety of products that now participate in the Box Tops for Education program. Click here for a list of all the products with Box Tops for Education coupons on them.  

For more information, contact:

West Middle:  Mary Bendel-Simso at mbendels@mcdaniel.edu

Or mail box tops to:

60 Monroe Street, Westminster, MD 21157 / Attn: Mary Bendel-Simso

East Middle: Carmen Shanholtz at clshanholtz@gmail.com

Or mail box tops to:

121 Longwell Avenue, Westminster, MD 21157 / Attn: Carmen Shanholtz