Recycling Begins at Cooke Elementary School

Jane Sorensen, School District EPIC Coordinator shows off the new cafeteria sorting station

September 10th and Cooke Elementary School's recycling program is off to a good start. Students, teachers and the administration attended an assembly today to kick off the event. Ms. Sondra Johnson Fields, Principal of Cooke welcomed the stakeholders in the initiative: Colleen Emery of Sullivan Renaissance, Christy Walsh of Thompson Sanitation, Evadne Giannini of HospitalityGreen and John Travis, District Director of Facilities.

Draining the milk before tossing it in recycling

For two days students have been learning how to use the new cafeteria sorting station. Evadne, Jane, Sandra, teachers and aids have been working with the students to show them how to use the new station.
The station also features a cart  for uneaten fruit and milk. The "cafeteria sorter" designed by Leo Giannini features a drain for partially used milk, a smiley face with holes for the recycling of milk cartons, plastic containers and unsoiled papers, and a tray stacker for styrofoam trays.

Custodians prep for first day of school

The stacker allows students to stack their trays and has reduced bulky bags of garbage by over 70%. Students "Tip and Tap" their garbage in the Oscar Bin to the right of the sorter and then insert their tray in the stacker. On the first day of school, custodians removed two bags of recyclables, 2 bags of trays and two bags of garbage. Last year with a hundred less children, custodians removed after lunch daily 12-15 bags of garbage and no recycling.
Today at the assembly Ms.Sorensen Coordinator for Cooke's School Recycling Program congratulated students and staff for being chosen to be Sullivan County's model program and led everyone in a pledge.

Our Environmental Pledge

"I pledge by the show of my hand to conserve water, to preserve our endangered species, to reserve our natural resources by recycling, and to share with my fellow citizens the responsibility for a cleaner and greener community."



Watch for daily updates on the school twitter at  #cookepride