Medfield High School Student Council Recycling

Many people do not know that Medfield High School has its very own recycling team! Consisting of MHS Student Council Representatives, this team of volunteer students sacrifices a reading period during fifth period each week to collect recyclables from classrooms.

It all started in 2003 with an idea from a freshman Student Council Representative, Zach Nolan. Nolan was concerned about the waste that was taking place in the school and how recyclables were not being properly recycled, just simply thrown out in the trash. And so, when Nolan suggested starting a recycling committee at a Student Council meeting, the idea caught on. The program began with collecting recyclables from each classroom and soon after spread to collecting from the cafeteria.

Once Student Council started recycling, everyone realized how much their work positively impacted the school and how it felt much cleaner. Not to mention, recycling every classroom is a big job for the custodians who already do so much for the school. So having this weekly recycling in place is a great way for students to help out around the school while simultaneously helping the environment. Mr. Richard DeSorgher, who was a teacher and the Student Council advisor when the process began, added, “This was a Student Council project and it became more established and run better during each year.”

When asked about the feedback teachers and staff members have given, current Student Council Advisor Ms. Jessica Safer said, “Teachers really appreciate it; it’s a big help.”

Also, if she could change anything about the recycling strategy, Safer replied, “If we could recycle more often, that would be great. However, I know that to do so, Student Council volunteers would have to sacrifice more reading periods, which I really appreciate that they do in the first place.”

When asked what she thought of the Student Council Recycling, MHS Senior Caroline Diana replied, “I think it’s helpful because it sets a good example for the school by encouraging others to recycle. It also makes our school more eco-friendly, which is great!”

Recycling more than once a week would certainly be helpful, but seeing as many students use their reading periods to do homework or study, it proves to be difficult. Perhaps in the future, volunteers could recycle before or after school once more during the week to increase the frequency of recycling and continue to keep classrooms clean. 

This article was written by Alyssa Ciolfi, a Medfield High School student and member of the student newspaper, The Kingsbury Chronicle. The piece is part of Medfield Patch's weekly series, "Warrior Weekly," helping provide information about MHS to the local community.