At Gregg Middle School, a small group of students has taken on a big responsibility.
Several times a week, four students don gloves and make their way around the school’s dozens of classrooms to collect and sort recyclable material that teachers leave outside their rooms.
Both the school and the students – who are autistic – benefit from the recently launched recycling program, said Tonya Thompson, Gregg Middle teaching assistant.
“The students gain work skills, socialize more with their peers and experience a sense of accomplishment,” Thompson said. “It’s something they look forward to doing because of the teamwork involved.”
“Mustangs Go Green” is advantageous for the school, which receives money for the paper it recycles. Thompson estimates that 95 percent of the teachers are participating in the program.
In addition to the paper that the “recycling troopers” collect and sort, they are also responsible for packaging old cell phones, which the school mails off to have recycled.
The four students involved in the program are just a few of the hundreds of people who benefit, said Mark Henrikson, special education teacher.
“With the whole school participating, it heightens awareness for the entire student body and lets them know changes they could be making in their lives to help the environment,” Henrikson said.
Thompson has high aspirations for the program, which is in its infancy.    
“Our hope is that recycling becomes automatic for the students, faculty and staff and that they spread the word about the importance of recycling among their friends and family,” Thompson said. “Recycling may involve a little more work at the time, but it makes a big difference in the long run.”

Contact Michael Tannebaum at 873-9424 ext. 215 or mtannebaum@journalscene.com