“If you had to name one person within the Winton Woods School District who exemplifies environmental and recycling efforts, Cris Cornelssen would come to mind,” said Wright Gwyn, Program Manager for Forest Park Environmental Awareness, in his nomination of Cornelssen for the Outstanding Recycling Educator award with the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services (HCDOES). “Cris has been working closely with the Forest Park Environmental Awareness Program for almost 20 years.”

Cornelssen, who is the science lab instructor at Winton Woods Elementary School, will be honored for her efforts and presented with the Outstanding Recycling Educator award at a special recycling awards ceremony that recognizes great achievements in waste reduction and recycling throughout Hamilton County.  The recycling awards breakfast will be held November 17.

In his nomination, Gwyn cited Cornelssen’s recent help in securing a $10,000 grant from Walmart to develop a land lab at the school. “Cris took some of her summer vacation to help construct the lab which has a strong emphasis in resources management and reuse/recycling.” He also mentioned her 15-year support of the Environmental Awareness Program Environmental High IQ Bowl, her help with school paper recycling programs and with the Rumpke Recycle Challenge. “She was the first teacher to call me about what it would take to get a recycling dumpster at her school,” said Gwyn.

“Cris Cornelssen also teamed with Instructional Assistant Sharon Greene to establish a Recycling Club at our school,” said Principal Steve Denny. The club’s mission is to collect paper from the school as well as promote and collect can recycling throughout the neighborhood.

“Cris is one of those teachers you wish you could always work with,” said Gwyn. “She is loved and appreciated by both teachers and students alike.”