FGTS Bexbach Primary School has been honoured for its participation in the state-wide environmental campaign ‘Saarland picobello’ and for its outstanding commitment. Mayor Christian Prech and EVS Managing Director Holger Schmitt presented the award on 16 June 2026 in the school playground. The school is run by the Saarpfalz-Kreis Society for Education and Further Training (GAW).
‘Saarland picobello’ is the annual clean-up campaign organised by the Saar Waste Management Association (EVS): schools, nurseries, clubs and members of the public across the Saarland work together to collect rubbish and litter in their local areas, along roadsides and in the countryside. The campaign combines practical environmental protection with raising awareness of how important clean public spaces are for the community.
The primary school pupils at FGTS took part in the collection drive with great enthusiasm – and one pupil from the comprehensive school also joined the primary school children and lent a helping hand. In recognition of their commitment, the school was given a bench, which it turned into something special together with the whole school community: a ‘playmate bench’. The idea is as simple as it is effective: anyone who sits on the bench is signalling that they are looking for a playmate. Other children see this and can join in. In this way, a piece of seating becomes a meeting place that brings children together and ensures no one is left on their own.
“We are delighted to receive this award. Our children have thrown themselves into the project with great enthusiasm and have learnt that protecting the environment starts on our own doorstep,”
says Anastasia Nikiforova, headteacher of FGTS Primary School in Bexbach.
“The fact that the bank has become a ‘play-together bank’ makes us particularly proud. It embodies exactly what matters to us: responsibility for the environment and a spirit of care and togetherness, where no child is left on their own.”
As the sponsoring organisation, GAW supports the educational and pastoral work at FGTS Primary School in Bexbach and joins the school community in celebrating this award. With its ‘Mitspielbank’, the FGTS Primary School in Bexbach demonstrates how environmental commitment and social cohesion can be combined – and that a litter-picking campaign can become a lasting symbol of solidarity at the school.