Ozarka® Natural Spring Water and Don’t mess with Texas® award scholarships to high school seniors active in litter prevention
BlueTriton Brands, through its Ozarka® Natural Spring Water, has teamed up with Don’t mess with Texas® to award scholarships to two Texas high school seniors who are combatting litter at their school or in their community!
The Don’t mess with Texas® Scholarship Contest is presented annually. This year, a total of $10,000 in scholarships has been awarded.
Congratulations to the following winners:
Carson Wood, a senior at Whitharral High School near Lubbock, Texas was awarded a $5,000 college scholarship, which he will apply toward his chosen field of study in Agricultural Business at Texas Tech University.
Serving as a member of the Hockley County 4-H, Carson noticed trash along highways was a significant problem especially Highway 385. The stretch of road included both houses and farmland. He saw the need for his organization to make litter cleanup along this highway a regular project. For the last ten years, the organization has been cleaning up litter along Highway 385. Carson also noticed a litter problem after football games at his high school. He initiated cleanups after each home football game with his local Future Farmers of America (FFA) organization. He provided the trash cans and emptied the cans after the cleanups were complete. Whether it’s community roadways or the high school campus, Carson is passionate about making the cleanups fun. He encourages community members to get involved to keep their community litter-free.
“I enjoy helping others and I take great pride in my school and my community. I want it to be beautiful for others, too,” said Carson Wood.
Niva Maskey, a senior at Westlake Academy near Fort Worth, Texas was awarded a $5,000 college scholarship, which she will apply toward her chosen field of study in Biology at Southwestern University.
While driving home one day, Niva noticed that the roadways along her route were littered with trash. In 2021, she and her family adopted a roadway, and they have been conducting road cleanups four times a year. At her high school, she was an active member of the school’s Earth Club. Each Wednesday, the club would collect recycling throughout the school, pick up litter around the campus, and plant flowers in the butterfly garden. Following the pandemic, recycling was removed from her school and the school’s Earth Club was discontinued. This motivated Niva to create and lead her own organization. In 2022, the Green Team was formed which focuses on the environment. Niva currently leads the organization at her school for grades 6-12. Each Tuesday, the club meets and collects recycling around campus. They also spread awareness about living a greener lifestyle to fellow classmates.
“As the daughter of an environmental scientist, the ideals of never littering, recycling when you can, reducing energy waste, and more have been ingrained into my brain since birth. With this influence, I am a strong believer in protecting our environment before it is too late.” said Niva Maskey.
Don’t mess with Texas® has been educating Texans about litter prevention since 1986. The program includes annual “Trash-Off” community outreach events and the Adopt-a-Highway volunteer program.
