Creative students win contests

WELLSBURG - A pair of Brooke High School seniors have received recognition for their creative entries in two statewide contests.

The Brooke County school board on Monday recognized Justyne Obeldobel and Caitlyn Bright as winners of a contest held by the Recycling Coalition of West Virginia that challenged them to create dresses from items one might normally find in a garbage can.

And Obeldobel also was acknowledged for designing a Christmas ornament that will be displayed at Governor's Mansion for the holidays and permanently at the West Virginia State Museum.

Sara Lanigan, their teacher, explained the two were among a handful of Brooke High School students and 60 from throughout the state who entered the Recycling Coalition of West Virginia's contest.

Obeldobel's entry was created from the cans of various brands of Coca-Cola and part of an ensemble that included matching a purse, shoes and earrings made with pop can tabs.

She explained she cut 2-inch by 2-inch pieces from the cans, then punched holes in them so they could be sewn together as the dress.

Topped with a pink "corsage," Bright's yellow dress was made with assorted plastic grocery and sandwich bags linked with wire hangers.

The dresses were modeled by Bright's sister, Janna; and Obeldobel's classmate, Brittany DeCapio; at a fashion show featuring a variety of wear made from recycled material and held at the Charleston Town Center Mall on Nov. 15, America Recycles Day.

Photos of the show may be seen at the coalition's Web site at www.wvrecycles.com.

As both the overall and Coca-Cola Challenge winner of the contest, Obeldobel received $300 in gift cards good for businesses at the mall. Bright's dress won in the Charleston Town Center Mall Shopping Theme category, and she received a $50 gift card.

Lanigan noted it's the third year the school has participated in the contest and the second year it's had a first-place winner.

Obeldobel is the daughter of Edith and Doug Obeldobel of Colliers, and Bright is the daughter of Traci and Michael Bright of Follansbee.

Obeldobel also was winner, in the grade 9-12 division, of a statewide contest promoted by Gayle Manchin, wife of Gov. Joe Manchin. In its fifth year, the contest invites West Virginia students in kindergarten through 12th grade to design an ornament for the Christmas tree in the foyer of the governor's mansion in Charleston.

After the holidays, the ornaments become part of a permanent display at the West Virginia State Museum.

This year students were challenged to create a bulb with an energy-related theme. Obeldobel responded by painting symbols of various energy sources on a 60-watt light bulb.

The symbols included windmills, waves (for hydroelectric energy), the sun (for solar energy) and lumps of coal.

In other business, the board:

Agreed to provide $700 bonuses to teachers and other professional staff and $300 bonuses to service personnel and one and a half day's pay to any full-time employee who has at least one day of unused sick leave on June 9. The bonuses and sick leave incentives will come from a 9 percent increase in state taxes, about $400,000, returned to the county by the state Department of Education.

Offered encouragement to the Brooke High School football team in its bid for the state championship title Saturday.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)