What started as a simple question about recycling bins turned into a year-long effort led by students at Western Hills High School to make their campus a little cleaner and a little greener.
According to members of the Cougar Pride Alliance and teacher Patty Pressley, students in Kristi Fogle’s leadership class reached out directly to Mayor Jason Ward to request help launching a recycling program at the school. The mayor responded by helping provide recycling bins, giving students the tools they needed to get the project moving.
From there, students took ownership.
Leadership and Environmental Studies students worked together throughout the school year to keep the recycling effort running, collecting materials from classrooms every Wednesday and expanding the schedule during the final week of school.
In a thank-you note shared with Mayor Ward, student Issac Street said the program is now set up to continue next year, so future classes can keep the effort going. He also thanked the mayor for supporting the students and helping make their senior year better.
School leaders say the project became more than just recycling. It showed students what can happen when young people speak up, work together, and follow through on an idea that benefits the community.
And thanks to a few determined students, a lot less trash may end up in local landfills for years to come.
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