ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Protecting the environment has been a hot topic for multiple generations, including today’s younger generations.
To help with environmental efforts, Eisenhower Middle School has revived its Green Team, and advisor Kirsten McCann said she is happy to be part of it.
“Last year, when I was teaching the human impact unit with my 6th graders, part of the discussion was about how humans are impacting the Earth, and that got me thinking about what we could do at Eisenhower Middle School that could help make a change,” McCann said. “There was previously a recycling team here, so I reached out to the teacher who had been in charge of it and got more information. We do the program through the PepsiCo Recycle Rally online, and once I got permission from them, I presented the idea before our Student Council to allow the club to be created, and they then granted their permission. The club's revival started in January 2023. The first thing I had to do was get the recycling containers put out, and I held off on actually inviting the students until those were in place, and we currently have one down each hallway and one by the PE room. After all of that was in place, I sent out a mass e-mail to everyone inviting them to start recycling, and then I sent out an invitation to the students to join the Green Team. We had a lot of 6th graders join since they can't yet join other activities, so that's who the team was comprised of, but anyone and everyone is welcome to join.”
Last semester’s efforts ended up being very successful, McCann said.
“We currently only take plastic bottles and aluminum cans, and things kicked off really well – the students used more of the plastic bottles and the staff used more of the aluminum cans, and we ended up recycling a total of 39 pounds, which we were really happy about, especially since we only had the program for one semester,” McCann said. “Our goal this year is to recycle 70 pounds – or more – for this year. We even created a progress chart in the hallway to keep track of everything so all the students and faculty/staff can visually see how we're doing.”
McCann said she particularly enjoys seeing the students taking on leadership roles in the group, and added she hopes to continue seeing that with this year’s group.
“Since we're a Leader In Me school, we really want to see our students taking on leadership roles that really highlight their skills. PepsiCo actually gives us a breakdown on what jobs are needed, and with the Green Team, we needed someone who was confident in running the meetings, someone creative/artistic who could create posters and those materials, someone who could make flyers for me to e-mail out to staff and students, and someone who could help coordinate larger events, such as if we did a campus cleanup or something similar, among others,” McCann said. “We also work together to bring all the recycling to my classroom, and we do some light cleaning of everything and split the plastic bottles and aluminum cans, and then I haul everything to the recycling center, which is at 118 E. 4th Street, for those who might not know. We recently had our first meeting, and I really want to see what ideas they have as the year goes on, because I don't want to necessarily push anything on them since it's their group and it's supposed to be student-run. But I'd love to see what they think of and how we can make our recycling program successful this year.”
McCann said she also enjoys seeing the younger generation getting involved and helping with such a big topic.
“It makes me feel really good, and really confident they'll continue those habits and stay on the Green Team and lead it themselves. I can't wait to see how the team grows and see how the students' ideas flourish and how much change they can affect while they're in middle school,” McCann said. “I want these students to realize they have the opportunity and ability to make a change, even if it's starting with something small here at the school. Maybe that'll create a ripple effect and they'll start recycling at home and then convince their families to do the same, and maybe they'll come up with an idea that'll help the whole community. It's all about starting with something small and manageable and maybe working your way toward bigger ideas that could help the community and then the world. Like I said earlier, I'm excited to see what ideas the students come up with, because maybe we'll find a way to have a community trash pickup day or something similar. Right now, we do only recycle plastic bottles and aluminum cans, so in the future, it would be nice to include paper among all of that since we use A LOT of paper in the school. However, I know that's a really big task to take on, but I feel like at some point in the future, we'll find a way to do that.”
Overall, McCann said, she is looking forward to seeing the group’s accomplishments.
“I'm really excited to be leading the group again, and I hope we have a lot of students join the group and start those recycling habits, because it truly is not as hard as people think,” McCann said. “I can't wait to see what they come up with this year, and I hope the students' parents show their support for this program.”
