Starting a new club last year wasn’t easy for senior Olivia Archibald and FHN alumni Emma Meyers. Once Meyers went to college, Archibald was left to fill both of their roles as president and vice president of the Recycling club, leaving her skeptical how things would turn out.

“I was kind of nervous just because a bunch of the members last year were seniors, and she was also one of my best friends, but I’m excited to just show people how to recycle and what to [recycle],” Archibald said.

Sept. 5 was the first Recycling Club meeting, and although there was only small turnout, there was still hope that they’d continue making a big difference in the school and the outside community. At the meeting, the members were given a presentation by Archibald, who showed them how trash affects the planet and the life on it. Then they got their gloves out and went around the school to collect all the cans and bottles recycled.

“This year, I just want to see the students and the teachers get more involved in recycling,” sponsor Yvonne Kehoe said. “We started to talk to students about it decades ago, and I just think it’s just taking too long for people to start making it a part of their daily living.”

The club will meet in room 16 every Tuesday, and they will collect all the recycled items and discuss ways to live environmentally friendly. They are also working to plan a way to fundraise for the club so that they are able to place more recycling bins throughout the school. Overall, according to Kehoe and Archibald, the first meeting went well, and they were both pleasantly surprised to see some new faces.

“I heard about the club through the announcements, and it sounded interesting and I wanted to join some clubs,” Freshmen Rebecca Stunt said.