The school purchased a tree that was planted on the school playground Monday morning in honor of “America Recycles Day.” T-shirts made of recyclable materials were purchased for the members of the Green Team, and a cart made from recycled materials is being purchased so the Green Team can go classroom to classroom to collect newspapers and other materials to recycle.
Established in the 2009-10 school year with the help of JFK parent Cara Dues, Kennedy’s recycling program collected 36,240 pounds of recycled material during the Recycle Rally.
Some of the projects carried out by the Green Team last year to draw attention to the importance of recycling included:
•Magazine Tower Contest: Students collected recyclable magazines from family members and friends and built “towers” out of them. The highest stack during a two-week collection period was 43.2 feet.
•Recycled Ornament Contest: Students made ornaments from recycled materials and used them to decorate the tree used during their “Sing Around the Tree” holiday program.
•Recycling Poster Contest: Students used recycled materials to create pro-recycling posters and displayed them throughout the school.
• Community Newspaper Drive: Students encouraged school neighbors to donate old newspapers to the school’s paper retriever, and the school PTO partnered with Abitibi Bowater, a company that provides recycling receptacles. Abitibi Bowater gives the PTO a monthly check based on the weight of the recyclable materials collected.
JFK’s Green Team is continuing the school’s recycling efforts this school year by sponsoring another magazine tower and promoting the community newspaper drive. Paper to be recycled can be dropped off at any time in JFK’s paper retriever bin, located in the back parking lot of the school.
Members of Cub Scout Pack 81 led the Green Team in 2009-10, and this year’s members also include Harley Gross, Becca Krieger, Albert Kuzma, ME Smith, Maggie Berning, Jacob Danielson, Josh Jahn, Jenna Niemen, Caleb Smith and Ella Tinch.