“Going Green” is this year’s theme for Eureka High School. It is also our Homecoming theme as decided by the student council. This initiative came out of last year’s internal review process which produced this reflective question:
How can we, as a school, become more environmentally friendly and reduce our carbon footprint?
After meeting with the class sponsors and Presidents of each class, we have decided to forgo class floats this year for the following reasons:
1. The material used is thrown away and ends up in the dumpster which ultimately ends up in a landfill.
2. In lieu of classes building a float, they will have a fundraising competition during lunch to raise money for a local charity that we haven’t sponsored in the past.
3. One float will be built by all of classes together out of recycled materials. The charities sponsored will be listed on the float with how much money was raised for each one. This is to show unity as a school as well as to give back to our communities.
4. A large majority of the students do not participate in float building on a yearly basis. Most times the number is approx. ten different students total with most being class officers. This is for the entire two-three week period that the float is being built.
5. A combined effort to build a float will only take one week. This will be accomplished the week prior to Homecoming. The students that typically build the float are extremely busy with homework, community activities and extracurricular events so it should free up some of their time.
6. The money used to build a float ($300) can be better spent on the junior prom and senior trip. The class can also decide to donate the money to the charity of their choice.
7. The classes compete to win $200 at the end of the week so spending $300 each on a float puts all of them in the hole. On top of that, the freshman class typically comes to EHS with no money until they have a fundraiser.
Other ideas not associated with float building that help with our “Go Green” initiative include:
1. Spirit shirts for students and staff observed being environmentally friendly.
2. Large pop-bottle shaped containers were purchased to collect plastic bottles at lunch, during events in the gym, and at the football games.
3. The Science Club has renewed its efforts to collect paper products to recycle.
4. The majority of material used at class games will have been recycled. BTW: It will incorporate ideas from “Minute to Win It” and be held in the gym.
5. We are trying to move to more electronic communication and only sending newsletters home to those of you that don’t have an e-mail. BTW: We just finished setting up Skyward to send you this e-mail.
6. We are reducing the amount of color ink that we use to only items that will be kept by the students or used for promotional purposes.
If anyone has any other ideas to help us "Go Green", please contact Rich Wherley at
wherleyr@district140.org.
