Earth Club

 By: Kelsey Thurston

Earth Club, which was originally started by Donna Kemp and Dennis Wortman, is one of the very few after school activities that is eco-friendly by having a main focus on saving our planet. "We try to do some highway cleanup," says Joseph Cook, current head Earth Club advisor, "and we always do recycling after our usual monday meetings." But that's not all this super-green group does. 

On October first and second a group of earth club members are heading out to the Monroe County Solid Waste collection days. The group attending this outing is more then excited to be a part of it. "The kids should have a good time and it will surely help them out with being environmentally friendly." However, there are even bigger plans for Cook and the Earth Club.


"We have a potential to visit the Mississippi Valley Conservancy," adds Cook," and we would like to get to Organic Valley another time." Not only will they be traveling, but Earth Club really kicked off when they started recycling.


In the year 2007 Sparta High School started their very first recycling program. Senior at Sparta High and member of Earth Club, Amanda Flock says, "With the cooperation of the custodial staff and Monroe County Solid Waste Management we have successfully kept over three tons of recycled materials out of the landfill since the recycling program was started." Recycling at Sparta High School is clearly very important to the earth club and to their fellow students.

Senior Dana Geier, currently not a member of Earth club says,"Earth Club and Mister Cook always seem to be there to make sure our school is taking care of our earth as best as we can." So the word about Earth Club has gotten around, now the students and faculty need to start thinking green.

When asked if she sees a lot of kids using the garbage cans or the recycling bins to throw away their bottles or cans Geier says," I think its been programmed into our brains by Mister Cook to use the recycling bins and I see a lot of people using them rather than the regular garbage." The recycling program is not only successful in collecting cans and plastic bottles, but has also helped educate both kids and adults about how and why to recycle. 

When asked if there was a student or a group of students who were exceptionally well at participating in Earth Club Cook said, "Kristina Beeler and Amanda Flock. Miss Flock is very diligent and very, very responsible. They were always at the meetings and helping out with all the recycling." Responsible students with a big responsibility.

So what makes these Sparta High School students that interested in saving our earth? "I like environmental awareness and when I joined Mister Kinsman was the advisor and he was always my favorite teacher." says Flock. Apparently the awareness has begun to work for not only Flock but for the whole Sparta High School student body.