HSPH Helps Mission Grammar School Recycle

Photo Credit: Gonzalez Grafica

HSPH’s very own, Heather Duverna, reached out to the Operations Office in May 2011 to investigate the feasibility of helping the local Mission Grammar school start a recycling program.  Members from the Operations Office and from Eco-Opportunity met with Heather and some folks from the school to talk logistics and project implementation.  They expressed to us that the 8th grade class has been trying to get a recycling program at the school for the past few years as part of their Community Service Learning project through Peace First.

Peace First began its work in Boston, and since 1992, it has worked in over 60 schools in nearly every neighborhood in the city. To date, Peace First has served over 30,000 students, teachers, volunteers, and family members in the Boston. Mission Grammar proudly celebrates our 17th year in partnership with Peace First! In the spring, each class participates in a unique Community Service Learning project that teaches students the importance of civic engagement and helps them apply their cooperation and problem-solving skills in a real community context. Peace First students in each grade level identify a need in their community, and each class works as a team to understand the issue at a developmentally appropriate level, determines a solution, and then executes the project.

Mission Grammar’s 8th grade class has been coined the “Green Ambassadors” and is still working with HSPH and within the school to educate the younger students about the importance of recycling.  We’ve donated a few recycling containers that they’ve chosen to put in the cafeteria.  We continue to work on expanding the program to other areas of the school where recycling would be beneficial.  If you’d like more information on this program, or would like to volunteer to be a part of the team that works with the Mission Grammar school, please send an email to ecoop@hsph.harvard.edu.