BJH Merit Class receives grant for recycling program
Published 10:53 am Tuesday, February 7, 2017
- Mississippi Recycling Coalition awards Batesville Junior High Merit Class with a $1,000 Recycling Grant to help improve the school’s current recycling program. Students involved in the recycling program include (front row, from left) Maili Robinson, Sha’Niya Miles, Mathew Clark, Nathan Hamblin, Joshua Towles, Leilyn Farris and not pictured is Hugh Covington. In the back, Panola County Administrator Kate Victor and Supervisor of the Solid Waste Department Jennifer Jackson hand over the check to BJH Principal Charles Stevens and Merit Teacher Emily Griste. The Panolian Photo by Ashley Crutcher
BJH Merit Class receives grant for recycling program
Mississippi Recycling Coalition awards Batesville Junior High Merit Class with a $1,000 Recycling Grant to help improve the school’s current recycling program. Students involved in the recycling program include (front row, from left) Maili Robinson, Sha’Niya Miles, Mathew Clark, Nathan Hamblin, Joshua Towles, Leilyn Farris and not pictured is Hugh Covington. In the back, Panola County Administrator Kate Victor and Supervisor of the Solid Waste Department Jennifer Jackson hand over the check to BJH Principal Charles Stevens and Merit Teacher Emily Griste.
The Panolian Photo by Ashley Crutcher
By Ashley Crutcher
The Mississippi Recycling Coalition (MRC) last Friday awarded Batesville Junior High School one of its Mississippi School Recycling Grant Awards for the 2016-2017 school year.
The MRC is a non-profit organization that works to promote and grow recycling efforts in the state by giving away $10,000 to public and private K-12 schools within the state. BJH received $1,000.
The coalition approved Batesville Junior High Merit Class’ application, prepared by teacher Emily Griste with help from student leaders Makaili Roberson, Joshua Towles, Leilyn Farris, Nathan Hamblin, Mathew Clark, Sha’Niya Miles and Hugh Covington.
The project ranked high in growing recycling efforts, student participation, and emphasis on educating students on the benefits of recycling, the MRC said.
“The existing recycling program at BJHS has been active for two years. The program began as a class project after studying the unit, ‘Going Green,’” said Griste.
The program began with students from the Merit Class recycling paper, plastics and aluminum cans on a small scale. Each week students pick up boxes of paper left outside each classroom to be recycled. The students collect aluminum cans and plastic every other week for recycling.
Ms. Griste takes the materials to the local dropoff on Van Voris Street to be recycled.
“During school events, Merit students plan and present hands-on informational booths to teach other students and staff about the recycling program and what the program recycles,” said Griste.
With funds from the recycling grant, the students hope to increase the amount of items being recycled at the school.
“Our goal is to increase teacher and student participation and to make the collection of recyclables cleaner, easier and more efficient so that we will be able to continue the program,” she said.
“We are in need of supplies, such as can liners, gloves, and cleaning products to better the program. We want to start collecting more items for recycling, like batteries, glue sticks, markers, pens and pencils. This is where the grant will help.”
The class currently collects approximately five large rolling garbage cans of paper and one large bag of plastics and cans each week. The class hopes to double the amount of items recycled and increase teacher and student participation.
