HOW THE "GREEN GROUP" IS CHANGING THEIR WORLD

HOW THE "GREEN GROUP" IS CHANGING THEIR WORLD
Posted on 12/20/2022

Green Group

Passionate. Driven. Determined. Those are just a few words that describe Natalie Geiling and Paige Berry, two fifth graders at Reid. When the girls noticed a problem at their school, they went into action.

“Last year in 4th grade we noticed that our trash cans were overflowing and kids and teachers weren’t recycling properly,” said Natalie. Paige added, “We couldn’t just sit there on the sidelines when all the things that could be recycled went into landfills.” The mini leaders shared their concerns with Reid Counselor, Ms. Anna Smith, and suddenly they were on a new mission at Reid. The pair wanted to start a movement called the "Green Group." The change makers also met with MASD Director of Operations, Mr. Meiser, to share their concerns about recycling. 

To launch the group, Ms. Smith and the girls then recruited two more volunteers, Morgan Daniels and Reagan Young, so that there was representation from each 4th grade class. During the 2021-22 school year, the team retrained teachers and students on recycling rules and the changes began. They also started multiplying spider plants by planting their babies. At this point in the year, every Reid classroom and office has a thriving plant to brighten their room. As those plants grew, the number of offspring increased exponentially and now the group is offering plants to other District schools, buildings and even to local businesses. Reagan designed the group's logo, and as the excitement grew, the Green Group grew to 25 fifth graders who meet regularly to plant new plant babies. Aubrey Johnston was also added as a new class representative.

The group's next project is to plan a Recycled Art Show for Reid students which will take place in the new year. After the holidays, the Green Group will be working with Mr. Meiser to produce a video to train all MASD employees on recycling guidelines.

The Green Group is unstoppable. Natalie and Paige never expected a random conversation with Ms. Smith would produce such results. Not only are they making visible changes, they are exhibiting great leadership skills as they lead their peers in the Green Group. “We never thought it would get this big. We can change the world!” they said. And they are not wrong!

Natalie with plants

Plants

Planting

dirt

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