St. Dominic embraces recycling

To judge the level of commitment to a major recycling program at St. Dominic Catholic School, all one has to do is know that there is a compost bin - earthworms and all - prominently sitting on a shelf in Kristin Becker's first-grade classroom.

The teacher wouldn't have it any other way.

"It doesn't smell great when you sit right next to it, but we made the full commitment to go green this year," Becker said.

A newer commitment

The full commitment that began in September means that every classroom from kindergarten through eighth grade has clearly marked bins for trash, bottles and paper. At the end of every day, the small containers are emptied into larger containers to be hauled off.

While schools are required to recycle paper, St. Dominic is among a growing number of schools who have taken the process further and in a way that involves students, teachers, staff and parents.

"It's a commitment that we got everyone involved in," said Becker, who helped establish the program. She noted that the first-grade classrooms are the only ones that are doing composting, because those students wanted to do it.

Teacher-parent leadership

A project of this type, Becker said, requires assistance. She got it from Patti Burbach, the president of the St. Dominic parent-teacher group and mother of four St. Dominic students.

"Oh, this has been great," Burbach said. "It takes a while to get everyone comfortable with doing this, because it does require some extra steps. It's a great lesson in saving the earth."

The lesson fits well with the teachings of a parochial school, said Becker and Burbach, because teachers explain that recycling coincides with preserving what God has created.

"What the students learn here, they bring home" Becker said. "We are trying to teach a new lifestyle and give a broader meaning to recycling."

Becker's students even make toys from used and ready-to-trash items they find at home. Old laptops and soft drink cans can be valuable parts of homemade robot toys.

Lessons learned

That lesson has been taken to heart by students like Sean Russell, an eighth-grader who said he enjoys being part of the recycling program.

"I think it's important because everything that we can do to help the earth and not fill landfills is a good thing," Russell said. "I have learned alot, like the difference between the number plastics and what to do with them."

An assist from the county

St. Dominic also has learned a lot along the way, such as the price of buying proper recycling containers. That is why they applied for and got a $3,000 grant from the Waukesha County Recycling Center. In addition to purchasing containers, funds will be used to replace them when needed and develop other green-friendly projects.

One of those projects could be to develop a rain garden, said Meribeth Sullivan, a recycling specialist at the county's recycling center.

"Our program comes under land conservation, so we teach methods in how to minimize water runoff. It's all related," she said.

A program worth recycling

The teaching component is an integral part of the partnership with schools like St. Dominic. As part of the grant program, the county sent an educator to hold a schoolwide program to kick off the effort.

Burbach said the kickoff was so valuable that she would advocate it be done at the beginning of every school year.

"We will have new students every year, so it will be new to them," she said. "For those who have gone through this, it would be a great way to reinforce what they are already doing."