Recycle for Teachers drive brings in the books

Kahre Elementary educator among those turning old Yellow Pages into fundraiser

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Kahre Elementary School teacher Gina Mason is turning old phone books into cash.

Mason is one of five Las Vegas teachers selected to participate in the Recycle for Teachers program sponsored by telephone book publisher R.H. Donnelley. Each of the teachers are pulling their schools together to collect the most phone books in order to win a $3,000 grant for their classroom.

"It's a great opportunity for the students to do something for the environment," Mason said.

Mason and her 62 Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) students in third, fourth and fifth grades gather the books from each Kahre classroom, keep a tally and throw the books in a dumpster provided by Republic Services. The dumpster is emptied three times a week, taken to a local recycling center and weighed.

"Republic Services has been very good about setting up additional pick-ups," Mason said. "We've even tried to get a second dumpster."

The students and families of the school located at 7887 W. Gowan Road have collected more than 1,200 books since the drive began on Jan. 3.

"The parents have been great," Mason said. "Today they are out picking up 2,000 books for me."

Mason also has collected an additional 2,000 books from local casinos including The Orleans, Suncoast, Gold Coast, Wynn Las Vegas and Luxor, and businesses including Sierra Health Services and the Las Vegas Valley Water District.

"We want our teachers to get a grass-roots effort," said Jennifer Sherron, Sprint Yellow Pages spokesperson. "And we have a great relationship with hotels in Las Vegas."

Mason was nominated to coordinate the efforts by school office manager Jan Reese and selected at random by R.H. Donnelley.

A $2,000 grant will be given to each teacher, with the one who collects the most books receiving an additional $1,000. The teachers can decide how to use the grant money.

"I'm known as the science lady," said Mason, who also teaches outreach lessons to non-GATE students weekly. She plans to use her grant to buy a second hot-air balloon launcher, which will be used for an experiment where students learn why the balloons launch. She also plans to use it to hire private buses to go on field trips that can not be completed in the time school buses are available.

Mason said she has used this project as a way to teach her kids about how recycling helps the environment.

"Las Vegas (produces) 10,700 tons of waste every day," said Taylor Larsen, a fifth-grade GATE student. "We should recycle 25 percent but we only recycle 19 percent."

Sherron said Las Vegas is one of the Yellow Pages' largest markets, distributing 500 short of one million books in January.

During the first recycle drive in July 2005, 210 tons of waste were recycled and $90,000 of grant money was awarded nationally.

The collecting ended on Jan. 31 and the winner will be announced this month. R.H. Donnelley will start another drive in July.

To nominate a teacher to participate in the next drive, visit www.rhdforteachers.com.