The Briar Woods High School Freshman Student Council Association in Ashburn and Potowmack Elementary School in Sterling both won $500 grants from Keep Virginia Beautiful, a program aimed at improving Virginia’s environment. Briar Woods’ students will use the money to transform an unused courtyard into an educational space for students, a design that earned them a place in the Beautification category. They intend to plant native trees and shrubs as well as add seating for students. The garden will be maintained by the students and serve as an inspiration for onlookers.   Potowmack Elementary will put the grant money toward expanding its lunchroom recycling program. The students, staff and parents plan to purchase recycling bins to segregate their recyclable waste. They will then send the waste to Terracycle, a company that recycles waste and makes new products from it. Keep Virginia Beautiful is awarding grants through the month of June for their “30 grants in 30 days” event. To participate, government, nonprofit and service organizations can apply for one of three categories: Beautification, Litter and Recycling. For more information, go to www.keepvirginiabeautiful.org.