McClain High School in Greenfield has been awarded the 2021 Recycling Incentive Grant through the Ross, Pike, Highland, Fayette (RPHF) Solid Waste District.
This partnership between RPHF Solid Waste District, Highland County Recycle and Litter Prevention, which is managed by Highland County Community Action, and McClain High School all started when MHS journalism student Kirstasia Hafer posted an article on Facebook back in November 2020, sharing how Mia Snyder and Sarah Snyder had a vision to bring back the recycling program to MHS.
Once Highland County Community Action (HCCAO) read the article the partnership blossomed. Through brainstorming and planning, MHS Principal Matt Shelton, assistant principal Randy Closson, city manager Todd Wilkin, HCCAO Deputy Director Tara Campbell, along with Mia and Sarah Snyder leading the way, their vision began to become reality. The Highland County Recycle and Litter Prevention program provided MHS with some start up materials, such as recycle containers and bags to get the project under way.
It was clear that the students needed more materials to implement this project throughout the high school, at which time they applied for the RPHF Recycling Incentive Grant. The grant for $5,000 was awarded for additional recycling supplies and the students are now underway with the project.
Both students, along with high school leadership, hope that the recycling project can spread throughout the Greenfield Exempted Village School District.
Below is the original article posted on McClain High School’s Facebook page Nov. 3, 2020 by Kistasia Hafer:
Sarah Snyder and Mia Snyder, president and vice president of the junior class, have a big project on the horizon as they are beginning the process of bringing a recycling program back to McClain High School.
“We’d love to be a part of something big for our school to better it, and we’d love to start with recycling,” Mia Snyder said.
Their idea to start a recycling program started with setting up a meeting to talk over the logistics of making it work.
“Sarah and I have met with the principal as well as the city manager to discuss starting a recycling program at the school again,” Mia Snyder said, adding that once it is implemented, there will be recycling bins in each classroom of the high school and someone will go around to pick up the recycling one to two times a week.
Both girls plan to have many buildings and people involved with this program, which they hope to begin very soon. It started by getting principal Matt Shelton and city manager Todd Wilkin on board, but they hope to get the community involved as well.
Submitted by Tara Campbell.
