New Castle County Executive Marcus Henry announced the launch of the County’s annual Great Schools, Clean Streams contest, an online environmental education drive that results in approximately 10,000 clean water pledges from adult County residents each year. From Monday, March 2, through Friday, March 20, 2026, local schools will compete for a share of a $15,000 prize pool by asking students’ parents, guardians, and adult neighbors to pledge online to be “Clean Stream Champions.”
Adults who pledge and students who participate through their schools learn five specific steps to improve local water quality. Individual adult pledges accumulate along with in-school “extra credit” pledge opportunities, and school pledge totals can help schools win cash. All public, charter, private, and parochial schools in New Castle County (kindergarten through 12th grade) are invited to participate.
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“Great Schools, Clean Streams has allowed New Castle County to reach a large portion of the population with clean water education for over a decade,” said Henry. “Because this contest is promoted through schools, with the enticement of cash prizes, we are able to reinforce our clean water messaging with not only adults, but the youth who will grow to be stewards of our clean streams.”
Each pledge made at GreatSchoolsCleanStreams.org counts toward a school of the adult’s choice, and the site displays an online leaderboard that continuously tracks the number of pledges each school garners.
Take the Pledge
Pledging is free and only takes a minute. An online leaderboard will continuously track the number of pledges each school has garnered throughout the contest. When a county resident pledges, they promise to reduce pollution in our waterways by taking five steps:
- Scoop the Poop by collecting and properly disposing of pet waste
- Garden for Water and Wildlife by using chemical-free fertilizers
- Only Rain Down The Drain by keeping trash and debris out of stormwater drains
- Reduce Household Chemicals by purchasing organic cleaning supplies
- Cease the Grease by disposing of cooking grease in the trash instead of the drain
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How does the contest work?
Students can help increase their school’s pledge totals by signing a pledge poster, wearing green for a photo opportunity at school on a select day, or creating original artwork that represents what clean streams mean to them. Students and teachers can view their school totals on the leaderboard and see their photos and artwork. In turn, the students can urge the adults at home to complete pledges to boost school totals.
School Size
- Large (600+ Students): 1st place - $1,500
- Medium (300-599 students): 2nd place - $1,000 and 3rd place - $750
- Small (1-299 students): 21 wild card prizes of $250
Any school with 50 or more pledges will be entered into a wild-card drawing for 21 awards worth $250 each. The top 2025 winners were Brandywine Springs School, Olive B. Loss Elementary School, and the Pilot School.
Cleon L. Cauley, Sr., Esq., General Manager of the Department of Public Works, which oversees the campaign, said, “Clean waterways are an important part of our constituents’ health and quality of life. Great Schools, Clean Streams makes learning the five steps to clean water fun for the whole family, and shapes students into valued allies for Public Works.”
For questions about the Great Schools, Clean Streams campaign, contact publicworks@newcastlede.gov.
