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By Donna Bumgarner
Contributing Writer
The Green Team at Whitmire Community School is working hard to save our environment and conserve energy. They are learning to take care of themselves and their community as they grow. They do several things to keep our animals safe, avoid overflowing landfills, and take care of their school.
For instance, the students recycle plastic bottles and cans. They pop the tops on the cans and give them to Ronald McDonald House to raise money for children with cancer and other deadly illnesses. The students also save plastic bags to support the Joanna Food Pantry. Older students on the team help with the plants in the school. They water them and care for them daily.
Their sponsor, Maxine Brown, the Elementary Guidance Counselor, is the catalyst behind the program. She encourages the students to reuse and recycle glass, plastic, and aluminum cans. Containers for plastic bottles, cans, and can tops are located outside the main office area for the students’ convenience. From the youngest to the oldest, the students drop off their tabs, bottles, and cans.
In March the children watched as the Columbia Marionette Theatre presented “Litter Trashes Everything,” a free litter awareness program. They also celebrated Earth Day April 22nd. As part of the celebration on Earth Day, Jennifer Cook, Miss Whitmire 2009, visited the school to share some of her ideas about recycling and conservation and read to the students in Pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade. She shared a book with the younger students about things they could do to encourage their parents and family members to save energy and recycle entitled Recycle! A Handbook for Kids. It is made from recycled paper.
Jennifer’s platform for the Miss South Carolina Pageant is “Planet Green: Recycling.” She is passionate about recycling and has been a member of the Environmental Club at her high school for several years. Her goal is to target the youth of Whitmire and make recycling less difficult for them. She will meet soon with Lt. Governor Bauer to share her platform with him and request some recycling bins for Whitmire Community School and the town of Whitmire. She hopes to attain some free recycling bins for the school and the town; however, if she does not get them, she would like to have a fundraiser to purchase them by having a Mr. Wolverine Pageant. Jennifer has also adopted Highway 121 near Whitmire and plans to keep it clean by working with student volunteers.
Ms. Brown made her an honorary member of the Green Team and praised her for her outstanding efforts. She told her, “You’re being a great role model for my kids.”
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