The Chelmsford Recycling Committee (CRC) is proud to announce an award that will be given to a group of Chelmsford High School students, Arielle Keller, Emily Totten, Rachael Kane, and Stephanie Dick and faculty advisor Steven Courtemanche. These hard-working students recognized that a problem existed and began their own recycling project at CHS. The CRC would like to recognize those students and honor them for their passion, dedication and hard work.
 The group got started because CHS student Arielle Keller wrote a paper about recycling and it made her realize that bottles and cans were not being recycled at her school. We teach kids to recycle, recycle, recycle and they got to CHS and there was none. With that motivation she started a recycling group with her friends and began a regular recycling project with the help of their faculty advisor, Steven Courtemanche. They’ve been recycling bottles and cans since April of 2009.
Arielle Keller joined forces with Emily Totten, Rachael Kane and Stephanie Dick and they began recycling.
This team even recruited other helpers. All of them volunteer during study hall and they only collect the bottles and cans on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. They clear one floor per day and it takes ½ hour of work per person. They run the entire program and their effort is the only way that bottles and cans are recycled at CHS.
Still, they have run into roadblocks.
The recycling was going well when some students (not the recycling group) began misbehaving during study hall. These problems caused the CHS administration to decide that none of the students in the school could leave their assigned rooms during that time.
It’s a credit to their drive and initiative that they were able to overcome the roadblocks and continue the recycling efforts. They met with Jennifer Almeida and the Chelmsford Town Recycling Committee. They also met with their advisor and the Principal.
The discussion resulted in a “pass system” and the students thank the CHS Administration for their support and willingness to give them the tools they need to continue to succeed. They also thank their Principal, the Town of Chelmsford and Jennifer Almeida who is the Recycling and Solid Waste Coordinator for the Town of Chelmsford.
Congratulations to the students for winning this award. The students recognized the need, took responsibility for something nobody else was doing, started the project on their own and when they ran into obstacles they overcame them. The Chelmsford Recycling Committee thanks all of the students and staff who are helping with the recycling efforts at the High School, and we recognize students Arielle Keller, Emily Totten, Rachael Kane, and Stephanie Dick and faculty advisor Steven Courtemanche as our newest Recycling Champions.
The CRC hopes students and residents can make similar efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle. All our efforts together will save the town money and improve the environment! Do You Know a Recycling Champion? The CRC is accepting nominations for Recycling Champions and will interview nominees to evaluate their skills. Each month the CRC will publish a new Champion's recycling story and tips. To nominate please send the name, address, and a few words about your nominee's recycling prowess to: recyclingchampion@comcast.net.
Article written by Glenn Davison, Volunteer - Chelmsford Recycling Committee |
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