[view:node_ad=5]Recycling and caring for the planet will take center stage at Sierra Vista Junior High School this week as the Canyon Country school’s yearbook class is sponsoring Go Green Week. Activities each day will encourage students to recycle and wear green—indicating both the health of the planet and one of Sierra Vista’s school colors.
   
The week kicked off at brunch today with a recycling competition between four teams of seventh and eighth graders. Students sorted through a bin of materials trying to decide what was recyclable and what was not. Winners received “green,” in the form of cash, in the amount they would receive for taking the materials to the recycling center.
   
Tomorrow’s activity will require students to bring in plastic bottles, which will then be recycled. Each five empty plastic bottles a student brings in will purchase a “shout out” message, delivered to a friend of their choosing.
   
The school’s academic teams will participate in Wear Green Day on Wednesday. Each student who wears two green items counts as one point, with the winning team receiving a $50 donation to that team’s yearbook account.
   
On Thursday, yearbook students will be looking for students who throw away their trash in the proper receptacles. Each student “caught” keeping the campus clean will receive a ticket, which will go into a drawing for a $25 iTunes gift card.
   
Teachers will take center stage for the final activity on Friday, a Stack the Cans, Man! competition. Teacher volunteers will try to stack empty recyclable cans brought in by the students and donated to their favorite teachers. The teacher who stacks the most cans wins, and the donated cans will be recycled.
   
Teachers will also participate in a recycling can decoration contest as part of the week’s activities. Teachers and their classes will decorate a can with a Go Green theme, using only recyclable materials. Entries will be judged on the basis of originality, proper usage of recyclable materials and overall creativity, and the winning team will earn $100 donated to their yearbook accounts.
   
The weeklong program is a collaborative effort between students involved in Sierra Vista’s yearbook class, supported by the school’s Associated Student Body, who worked together during a Leadership Conference last summer and brought back a number of ideas.