Beaver Area middle school and high school hosts a multitude of after-school clubs, but only one is saving the planet: Environmental club headed by Ms. Patti Patton, a middle school science teacher.

If you’ve stayed after school and seen kids roaming the halls pushing carts loaded with green bins, that’s the club.

The club meets the first Monday of each month, focusing on collecting paper recycling bins, which the students empty into the yellow and green recycling dumpsters in the back of the school.

The club’s well-organized system hit a snag at the beginning of the pandemic when the company who emptied those dumpsters faced trouble getting drivers for their trucks, which through the club off their typical schedule—but the Environmental club is back on track now, “helping save the world, one recycling bin at a time.”

In addition to the environmental benefits, the club also helps beautify our school! In the fall and spring, the club hosts litter cleanups of our campus which always are appreciated.

The Environmental club also is looking forward to the last Friday in April: Arbor Day! Arbor Day is a national holiday encouraging people to plant trees. To promote the holiday, the Environmental club sponsors a poster contest for fifth graders and a poetry contest for middle school students to bring awareness of the cause to more people.

The contest winners are honored and awarded prizes by Beaver’s Shade Tree Commission during the group’s Arbor Day celebration. The town of Beaver has even been a designated Tree City for 20 years.

In addition to the great benefits the club creates, it’s also a great way for students to get more involved with the school and socialize with other students. If you’re looking for more ways to help both the school and the environment in general, join the Environmental club. Thank you to Ms. Patton and the club for all you do!