LYNN  — In an effort to bring awareness to the litter issues in the city, the Litter Committee is holding its fourth annual second-grade poster contest.

On Monday, Mayor Jared Nicholson, city councilors, and School Committee members marked Earth Day by going to 18 public and two private elementary schools to inform second graders about the contest.

City Councilor-at-Large Brian Field, who co-chairs the Litter Committee with Council Vice President Dianna Chakoutis, said that they go to each classroom to make sure that every student is aware of the contest.

“Who goes to the parks all the time?” Field asked a group of students at Tracy Elementary. “I do, that’s why we’re here today. Because today is Earth Day. So, I’m joined by (Chakoutis) and (Councilor-at-Large Hong Net) and we need all of you, every second grader in the entire City of Lynn, to help us today. Do you think you guys can help us?”

The group of students all nodded their heads, adorned with brightly colored handmade Earth Day headbands, and shouted “yes!”

Chakoutis, Field, and Net let the students know that they have two weeks to make a poster depicting the importance of keeping the Earth clean. 

Then, all of the teachers will have one week to vote and select one winner from their school.

The winning posters will then be collected on May 6 or May 7, reprinted, and displayed at area businesses.

The 20 winning posters will then be given to the Litter Committee, which will choose the winning poster to be displayed on a large billboard in the city this summer.

“You have to remember too, we pick one winner from each school but everyone’s still a winner… because everyone’s poster has meaning to it,” Chakoutis told the students.

She then asked the students what they would do if they finished a bag of chips in the park and couldn’t find a trash can to put it in.

“You can put it in your pocket and then when you (go) home, you can throw it away,” one second-grade student at Tracy Elementary said.

Field said that second graders were chosen for the poster competition because they are young enough to be excited about the idea and old enough to understand the message and meaning behind the project.