RHS Science Club Begins Paper Recycling Program

YES WE CAN!

(January 2009) A group of students at Riverhead High School refused to take no for an answer—not this time. They braced for it—but instead of a no, they received a reply of “Yes you can.” On Friday, January 9, 2009, the RHS Science Club began recycling paper at the high school.

While researching a variety of environmental issues last year, three students from Robert Jester’s research class won money in an environmental contest sponsored by Direct Action. Eleven RHS students entered the contest and Meghan Davis won $3,000 by taking second place. Her project challenged her viewers to make choices about the environment and over development on the East End. Two RHS students, Heather Rause and Carl Kendrick tied a Southampton High School student for the $1,000 third place prize. Heather’s project was about the growing problem of discarded containers ending up in landfills. Each of these students wrote a script for a public service announcement about environmental problems on the East End of Long Island. RHS student Bria Yazic, who touted animal-friendly methods of deterring deer from grazing near roadways in her entry, went on record after the contest that she wanted to start a paper recycling program at RHS the following year.

"I proposed we start a recycling program in the school, which we didn’t have," Bria said. "I went through a couple of garbage cans and there was a lot of perfectly good paper in them. I thought we should recycle paper."

Due to the persistent prodding of Bria Yazic, the RHS Science Club and its president, Adam McKay, the group were given thumbs up by RHS Principal David Zimbler to start a paper collection project at the high school. The students printed out a recycling logo, attached it to boxes that formerly held paper and then visited each classroom to explain their project (e.g., only certain types of paper can be placed in the box).

After school on Fridays, Robert Jester, the Science Club’s advisor, and several students will travel from room to room collecting paper, transferring it to a rolling collection center and ultimately depositing what they collect into a huge recycling dumpster outside the building. They will learn as they go what it takes to fine tune the system and keep the project going in spite of the barriers that include maintaining a group of dedicated members to do the pickup, financing the bins and transportation of the paper to a recycling center.

While the district financed the first dumpster, money earned from winning science entries in the environmental competition mentioned may have to be used to help keep the project going, but these students are convinced that, eventually, the project will pay for itself and prevent tons of paper from ending up in a landfill.

Related Link: Research Class 2008 / Jester's Kids page 1 / page 2