Student inquiry project has “green” dividends!

What started out last year as a student inquiry project and has led to an impressive school-wide recycling program!

Steve Lutes is the grade 7/8 science and math teacher at Len Wood Middle School and the spearhead of the project. He challenged his students to find the best way to sort recycled items, which led to them building prototypes and implementing them!

The compact classroom prototype design is a way to have all the bins available in a small space.

Half of these students have now moved on to Pleasant Valley Secondary School but they have left behind a legacy of significantly reduced garbage, so much so that the school had to contact SD83’s Operations Department to change the dumpster set up for more recycling space and reduced garbage pick ups! “Our custodian can not believe the reduction in garbage. The smallest containers are now for garbage,” commented vice-principal Duncan Hazlewood.

Each class collects its compost, single use plastics, recycling for paper, juice boxes, etc., and garbage in the specially, and school-designed, recycling bins. These are then taken by the class reps into the hallway, where there is a similar set up, plus one extra bin for styrofoam. On a regular basis, Lutes meets with the class reps, sharing information about the importance of what they are doing and giving them incentives for being such awesome green ambassadors.

Once a week the bins are cleaned. Two grade eight boys count the cans brought in and take out the hallway bags to the front door. Anything not picked up with regular recycling, Lutes takes to the Armstrong recycling depot himself.