Bethalto School Named Madison County Green School of the Year

BETHALTO - Meadowbrook Intermediate School was recently named the Madison County Green School of the Year, and it’s all thanks to the students and staff members on the Green Team.

Meadowbrook educates fourth and fifth grade students in the Bethalto Community Unit School District #8. Special education and general education students work together to collect the school’s recycling every week and promote environmental awareness.

“It’s really cool because it gives them leadership roles,” explained Madelyn Ehlers, who teaches special education. “They take very good responsibility. Even when they’re outside, if they see trash, they’re picking it up. It’s really cool for both the gen ed kids and my kids because they’re just learning so much from each other. It’s really special.”

Ehlers and teacher Cassie Payne worked together to lead the Green Team this year. Payne has coordinated recycling programs and environmentally-friendly initiatives in the Bethalto School District since 2008. She expressed her appreciation for the new Green Team and the work of the students.

“This is the first time we’ve ever had a team like this,” she said. “This is super exciting.”

Payne has written several grants to fund Meadowbrook’s environmental programs. Through these grants, they have received water bottle filling stations, and they hope to install motion-sensing lights in all the hallways by next year.

The school also received money for their annual Family Engagement Night, this year with an Earth Day theme. Students and their families could make dirt pudding cup snacks, plant seeds, create recycling pledge bracelets and work with STEAM bins.

Meadowbrook regularly collaborates with the community to help the environment. Community members can recycle paper, tab tops and clothing at the school.

Meadowbrook also has an annual food or clothing drive for the Hope Center. Payne noted that reducing and reusing are important aspects of environmental awareness.

She said that the students often ask why they can’t recycle more. She explained there is an extra cost to recycle cardboard, plastic and other materials. Ehlers and Payne would like to find a few sponsors to take on that extra cost so the school can become even more environmentally-friendly.

“There has to be a way that we can do more,” Payne said. “This is my goal before I retire. We have to recycle more. The cafeteria has tons of cardboard boxes, plastic containers. And it’s my understanding that it’s an additional fee for that extra recycling, but to figure out a way that that could be paid for has always been my goal.”

Payne and Ehlers thanked several other teachers and staff members for their help with environmental initiatives, including Ms. Lorna, Lora Ruyle, Erica Southard and Madison Traband. They expressed their excitement to be named the Madison County Green School of the Year, and they hope to do more next year to involve the students and teach them about environmental awareness.

“It’s exciting to see that they’re being recognized for all their hard work, which is really cool,” Ehlers added. “The hard work is paying off.”

Print Version