Avondale student takes first place in NoHaz poster contest

Nicole Schroeder stands in front of a poster proclaiming her the 1st place winner of the NoHaz poster contest.

Avondale School District fifth grader, Nicole Schroeder, entered and won the 2017 Oakland County NoHaz Poster Contest to promote safe and proper disposal of common household items. The contest, announced in December, 2016 by Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, promotes behaviors conducive to an environmentally responsible way to dispose of hazardous household waste. Seventeen communities make up the Oakland County NoHaz consortium that drives NoHaz initiatives and activities including Addison Township, Clarkston, Groveland Township, Independence Township, Lake Angelus, Lake Orion, Leonard, Oakland Township, Orion Township, Oxford Township, Oxford, Pontiac, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Rose Township, Springfield Township and Waterford Township. Nicole attends Deerfield Elementary in the Avondale School District which takes in parts of Rochester Hills.

“We’re very proud of Nicole,” said Deerfield Elementary Principal David Goetz, “she sets a great example for all of our students to be engaged in taking responsibility for the environment.”

Deerfield Elementary, named a Michigan Green School in 2016 by Oakland Intermediate School District, has a long history of encouraging students to be good stewards of planet Earth. “Deerfield has been named a Green School five times,” said Goetz, “to me that demonstrates commitment on the part of the staff to work with the students to adopt a mindset that taking care of our planet is important.”

Nicole learned about the poster contest from Deerfield Elementary teacher Colleen Cartier. When asked why she feels this is an important issue to support, she replied, “I think it’s important because most of God’s breath-taking world is now polluted, and it’s our job to help take care of the world as best as we can.”

The prize winning poster will be on display at the school as well as at events throughout the County.