The Weyburn Comprehensive School is looking to reduce its environmental impact by increasing its recycling efforts and cleaning up their grounds.The school will be holding a Green Week on May 31 to June 4 to kick-off their environmental efforts. The number one issue on the agenda is paper recycling.
"Because we have so much paper coming through our school every day we might as well do something with it," said student and SRC social director Morgan Gibson. "We want to reduce our impact."Teacher and SRC advisor Christa Millions agreed that the school goes through an "enormous amount of paper" which is why they are dealing with it, beginning in June. The school has purchased bins for paper and cardboard recycling for each classroom.Despite not receiving any funding from the school division for their recycling initiative, the school is forging ahead."The biggest challenge is financial," said Millions.Fortunately the school is receiving help from Matrix Solutions, which has offered to pay half the cost for one year of recycling paper and cardboard through the Wor-Kin Shop. The cost for the other half of the year will come out of the SRC's budget."We are trying to partner with other businesses in the community and see what we can come up with," said Millions.The school is also applying for a provincial government grant to get multi-recycling bins in every hallway. The cost for each bin is $1,500. The bins would have an area for paper, plastic and aluminum. They hope to get the bins in time for the 2010 Student Leadership Conference, which the Comp will be hosting.Other Green Week initiatives include daily announcements over the schools intercom system, which will provide facts and tips on recycling and other "green" ideas to students. The SRC is using a variety of incentives to get students involved in Green Week. Students toting a reusable water bottle on May 31 will get a prize. A Go-Mug Day will be held on June 2 with free coffee, hot chocolate or juice for those participating. On June 3, students are encouraged to carpool, walk or ride their bike to school to win a prize.Green Week will also include a courtyard clean-up on June 1. Students will be given 15-minutes to go outside and pick-up litter around the school.Another area of contention for the Comp is centred on students smoking and littering cigarette butts in the school yard and surrounding neighbourhood."It's a bad reflection of our school and we're working on that," said Principal Wade Oberg, assuring those who are smoking represent a small percentage of their student population."There is not a lot we can do about it," said Oberg. "It's not illegal for (students) to have (cigarettes) and there is no bylaw restricting kids under-18 to have them."Oberg said that they are addressing this issue by enforcing several new rules. The students who are smoking during school hours have been directed to do so on the school-side of the street, rather than across the street in front of residences. They have also been directed to smoke by the C-door rather than the main entrance, so as not to block guests from entering the building.There are plans in place to erect ashtrays for the smokers. For now, a garbage can has been placed in the designated area.Students are still not permitted to smoke on school property; however, Oberg believes the new regulations will deal with the littering problems."If they are caught smoking anywhere else we issue a warning," said Oberg. "We look at suspension after that."Millions said that Green Week will, hopefully, encourage students to be responsible with their garbage and compel them to take initiative when it comes to recycling.
