Environmental science students take on school-wide recycling initiative  

Students in the Environmental Science classes are caring for God’s creation and learning about sustainability by taking responsibility for the school recycling program.  

Science teacher Mr. Eric Hickman jump started the program as part of his Environmental Science curriculum. “My goal for this class is to make students aware of environmental issues and empower them to be a part of the solutions,” Mr. Hickman said. He hopes that their experiences with the recycling program will not only open their eyes to the benefits of recycling but will also help them develop important leadership and problem-solving skills.  

While Mr. Hickman helped get the program off the ground, the project is now completely student-run. Student leaders oversee the logistics and make plans for collection days while other teams of students are responsible for collecting recycling bins from classrooms and offices. Once everything has been collected the science lab becomes a makeshift recycling center as they sort all the materials. Paper, cardboard, and plastic are put in a recycling dumpster on campus while metal is sold to a recycling center. The class plans to use the money they earned from the metal to restore the outdoor classroom in the Spring.  

Freshman Abby Perry said, “I love the hands-on projects and real-life experiences that Mr. Hickman uses to help us learn and I am proud that I am doing my part to help!” 

Sophomore John Clifton added, “Not only have I learned the subject of environment science, but I have learned that there are things that can be done to take care of the earth. I am doing my part to solve a real-world problem.”  

Mr. Hickman brings 30 years of teaching experience and a background in geology and earth science to his first year at McNicholas and is already making an impact on his students and the school as a whole. “I came out of retirement to teach at McNicholas and it has been such a blessing.  I truly believe that God brought me here.”