2025 RecycleBot Challenge Celebrates Young Innovators

Rutherford County, NC - The anticipation is over, and the winners for the 2025 RecycleBot Challenge are ready to be revealed! Embracing the spirit of "Earth Month'' this April, Keep Rutherford County Beautiful (KRCB) invited third graders across Rutherford County to unleash their creativity by crafting robots from recycled materials, all in a bid to assist mascots Roxi and Rocki the Raccoon in their mission to upcycle and preserve the environment.

This year, Keep Rutherford County Beautiful (KRCB) was delighted to receive 101 entries, showcasing a wealth of creative talent from across the county. The competition entries came from Pinnacle Elementary, Rutherfordton Elementary, Trinity Christian School, Lake Lure Classical Academy, and the Homeschool Association of Rutherford County. The impressive submissions made the judging process challenging for the panel of judges, including Mandi Williams with Kidsenses Museum, Amber Saint Clair with Rutherford County Library System, Jenna Bailey with Artifacturing, Taylor Hardin and Elizabeth Toney with Tourism Authority of Rutherford County, Jerry Stensland with Rutherford Outdoor Coalition, and Daphne Homen with Rutherford Outdoor Coalition.

The diversity and creativity of the RecycleBots prompted the committee to award students in eight categories including Most Unique, Best Use of Materials, and Fan Favorite, showcasing the exceptional talent and dedication of Rutherford County's budding environmental stewards.

Keep Rutherford County Beautiful extends its heartfelt appreciation to all participants, supporters, and volunteers who contributed to making the 2025 RecycleBot Challenge a success. Together, we celebrate the power of creativity and environmental stewardship in shaping a brighter, greener future for Rutherford County and beyond.

Winners for Best Overall (Bot and Story) are:

1st Place / Bethanne Smith with “Daziy” the RecycleBot at Trinity Christian School!

Daziy lives in a greenhouse in Bostic North Carolina. She reminds people to not litter. And keep our community good and clean, plant flowers, and to help our community, and to spread seeds and to spread cheer. She eats trash to compost or recycle it.

2nd Place / Kason Owens with "Sir Pinch-A-Lot" at Rutherfordton Elementary

3rd Place / Landon Rumbaugh with "R2-Recycle-Droid" at Trinity Christian School

Winners for Fan Favorite (based on Facebook album votes) are:

1st Place / Lincoln Scarlette with "Mr. Clean Abraham 3000" at Rutherfordton Elementary

Mr. Clean Abraham 3,000 lives at my house with me. Mr. C.A. 3,000 does all my chores, and he helps me with my homework. He also makes me the best milkshakes. My personal favorite is that he helps me pull pranks on my family. Mr. C is the greatest best friend and butler robot that a boy could ever have!

2nd Place / Ava Allen with "Stephanie" at Trinity Christian School

3rd Place / Sha'Harri Miller with "Ro'Harri" at Rutherfordton Elementary

Honorable Mention / Izabella Manis with "Botie" at Rutherfordton Elementary

Winners for Most Creative (good imagination or original ideas) are:

1st Place / Khloe Daggett with "Molly" at Pinnacle Elementary School

Molly lives in Rutherfordton. My robot picks up trash from the sidewalks and roads. She takes the trash to the nearest trash can.

2nd Place / Harper Braddy and Mason Wentworth with "Bob the Water" at Lake Lure Classical Academy

3rd Place / Colton Dobbins with "Bingo" at Rutherfordton Elementary

Winners for Most Unique are:

1st Place / Ryland Honeycutt and Dakota Spencer with "Capy" at Lake Lure Classical Academy

Capy lives in the jungle. He picks up trash in the jungle with his friend. His friend is named Cuty and she comes and visits me to help clean the earth.

2nd Place / Blair Dunk with "Light Brite" at Rutherfordton Elementary

3rd Place / Rosey Jackson with "Chris Wrapps" at Rutherfordton Elementary

Winners for Best Use of Plastic and/or Styrofoam are:

1st Place / Jexxton Smith with "Tommy" at Rutherfordton Elementary

Tommy lives in the city. My robot helps to plant trees. Trees help to cool the Earth, capture carbon, support pollinators, and lower the risk of disease. Carbon helps all living things. Pollinators help to make more plants, cooling the Earth in a unnatural way uses high energy and puts bad chemicals in the air.

2nd Place / Lexi Pye and Carson Irving with "Steve" at Lake Lure Classical Academy

3rd Place / Staley Philbeck with "Helene SOS Bot" at Rutherfordton Elementary

Winners for Best Use of Paper and/or Textiles are:

1st Place / Bodhi Walker with "Animal Rescue Friend (A.R.F.)" at Rutherfordton Elementary

A.R.F. (Animal Rescue Friend) lives at the animal rescue center. My robot ARF helps stray animals. It will also record the location of the animal so that the rescue can go help it. A.R.F. will help Keep Rutherford County Beautiful and safe for animals.

2nd Place / John Murillo with "Spongey" at Pinnacle Elementary

3rd Place / Willow Vega with "Bloom" at Pinnacle Elementary

Winners for Roxi’s Picks are:

1st Place / Maddie Crummie and Maliya Rollins with "Lucy" at Lake Lure Classical Academy

Lucy lives in the forest. My recycle bot picks up trash from the forest. It lives in the forest. It has a hole that goes in the torso. Then he puts it in the recycle bin. My recycle bot is a frog with hair and skin the color green. Picks up bad foods.

2nd Place / Greyson Amos and Neiko Jones with "Knight" at Pinnacle Elementary

3rd Place / Frankie Krigbaum with "He-Cylce" at Rutherfordton Elementary

Winners for Rocki’s Picks are:

1st Place / Will Faris with "Gerald" at Rutherfordton Elementary

Gerald lives in Paris. If an animal is lost, he uses his sense of smell to find animals. He uses his long arms to reach animals that are stuck in trees.

2nd Place / Ayden Hertz and Allie Gabler with "Bob" at Lake Lure Classical Academy

3rd Place / Ella Jackson with "Addy" at Rutherfordton Elementary

Winners receive family passes to Kidsenses Museum, family tours at Cherry Mountain Farm, or coupons for free ice cream from Scoop. Every third-grader who submitted a RecycleBot in the challenge receives a particpation prize included an Earth Day sticker and an upcycled recycling-themed bookmark.  We would like to acknowledge all the third-graders who entered the 2025 RecycleBot Challenge by listing them below by school.

Homeschool Association of Rutherford County

Caroline Hughes

Lake Lure Classical Academy

Stihl Adams, Irie Marlow-Halterman, McKinley Keever, Nyla Walling, Marleigh Bardol,

Noah Toms, Eliza Marek, Hayden DeFreitas, Tobias Harper, Aaron Dickason, Carter Wilkins, Eleanor Deist, MaryAnn Dotson, Michelle Whiteside, Jax Fowler, Jamie Todd,

Avery DeFreitas, Jeremiah Alford, Harper Braddy, Mason Wentworth, Eli Gordon, Ava Stepp, Miya Owens-Matz, Eli Fish, Maddie Crummie, Maliya Rollins, Lexi Pye, Carson Irving,

Silver Neal, Felix Smith, Ayden Hertz, Allie Gabler, Nola Adams, Toby Samolinski,

Ryland Honeycutt, Dakota Spencer, Blair Johnson, and Silvana Van Eron

Pinnacle Elementary School

Willow Vega, Dixie Carlton, Isabella Lovelace, Camden Edgerton, Keeden Dukes,

Eliana Renteria-Gonzalez, Natalie Parker, Greyson Amos, Neiko Jones, Jackson Parker,

Otis Bailey, Emmett Havro, Asher Sisk, Khloe Daggett, John Murillo, Lela Brown,

Pasilee Robinson, Taylor Cobb, Madelyn Murphy, Vincent Adorno Cox, and Giacobbi Wingo

Rutherfordton Elementary School

Aleeyah Owenby, Colton Dobbins, Andre Tamayo, Collin Saunders, Will Farris,

Aleeyah Owenby, Jexxton Smith, Lincoln Scarlett, Meeah Chavez Celaya, Izabella Manis, Bodhi Walker, Aubree Owensby, Bentley Blanton, Rosey Jackson, Kaylah Lynch, Duncan Link, Coen Linker, Lucas Gilbert, Avia Whiteside, Jacob Yelton, Gaincarlo Tamayo, Owen Lowery, Jade Keller, Josiah Rodriguez, Annabelle Rife, Maddox Jarrett, Bryce Henderson,

Trinity Campbell, Billy McDaniel, Alina Escalara, Raighlyn James, Austin Pavley,

Deacon Withrow, Sha’Harri Miller, Rowen McDaniel, Staley Philbeck, Josiah Rodriguez,

Ella Jackson, Autumn Shaffer, Kendall Gordon, William Connor, Nolan Washburn,

Donté Hampton, Aiyanna Kelly, Hadlee Burris, Jordynn Horne, Kason Owens,

Frankie Krigbaum, Blaire Dunk, Peyton Sain, Eva Rosa, Cooper Steiner, Braylee Watkins, Journey Hunt, and Lily Fraioli

Trinity Christian School

Ava Allen, Elise Whiteside, Liam Sisk, Korbyn Ware, Coleman Fleming, Bethanne Smith,

Hiram Bullington, Landon Rumbaugh, October McDowell, and Alden Flack

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all involved. This would not be possible without the support of the KRCB Committee, the participation from our public and private school systems, their teachers, the student's parents, and the donations from our prize sponsors. To see all 101 submissions as well as the winner's announcement, head to the KRCB Facebook page @KeepRCNCBeautiful. Keep up-to-date on other initiatives in the county spearheaded by KRCB to make a cleaner, more sustainable future. 

About Keep Rutherford County Beautiful:

Keep Rutherford County Beautiful (KRCB) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting environmental stewardship, sustainability, and community beautification in Rutherford County, North Carolina. As an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, KRCB leads various initiatives, including litter cleanups, recycling programs, and educational outreach efforts, to foster a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable environment for all residents.

Follow KRCB on Social Media:

Facebook: @KeepRCNCBeautiful

Instagram: @keeprcncbeautiful