News from the Crew
From the Trailhead
Earth Day has come and gone, but Conservation Crew chapters across the state are still leading projects to protect the environment. From reducing waste in their schools to restoring native habitats and raising awareness in their communities, these young changemakers are showing what it means to take action for our environment.
Crew VIEWS
Students at A.I. Jedlicka Middle School in Proctor organized a school-wide competition to decorate recycling bins with the goal of drawing more attention to them. The Crew students also hung posters around the school to educate peers about what items are recyclable, and they collaborated with their Student Council to do a live update in the weekly Student Council video about Conservation Crew. “Because the recycling cans are more prominent and decorated now, they’re being used more than they were before,” said Crew leader Larissa Giebner.
At Anoka Middle School, three 8th grade students took their Conservation Crew skills outside of school and into their own backyards. Over a weekend, the friends collected three bags of trash and made a plan to plant a flower garden. “It warmed my heart that these students are not just doing things because it’s part of the club, but they’re doing it because of who they are as people,” said Crew leader Jolanda Dranchak.
CONSERVATION CONNECTIONS
When Pillager Public School recently introduced recycling bins in the elementary school lunchroom, Crew students saw an opportunity to teach younger students about the importance of recycling as part of their We Love the Earth Week.
The Crew students visited nine elementary classrooms over the course of two days to present about recycling and host a fun, interactive recycling sorting game. “It led to some discussion that I didn’t think was going to happen, and the elementary kids were excited that they had the recycling cans like the middle school and high school had,” said Crew leader Beth Streit.
Teacher Spotlight
First-year Crew leader Allan Lund is a 6th grade teacher at Barnum Elementary School with 13 students in his Crew. His students have focused their efforts on their school’s Nature Center, mapping trails, creating signs with the maps to encourage more use, and even doing some trail building to add new trails to the Center.
“Because of budgetary constraints in the school district, there’s not a lot of extracurricular opportunities. Conservation Crew is great for the kids that can do it. Our Conservation Crew meeting was the best part of my day yesterday.”
—Allan Lund, Barnum Elementary School
Conservation Crew is generously supported by a grant from the Manitou Fund, Xcel Energy, CenterPoint Energy, and the George Family Foundation.