It doesn’t matter if a student is in 12th grade or 2nd grade, in Beaver Creek or in Beachwood, you and your peers are definitely working to make the world a cleaner and better place. Shin, a second grader at Bryden Elementary in Beachwood, even started a club at to do just that. His efforts even earned him this week’s A+ Award!
Back in the fall, Shin’s class had a conversation about the idea that “everyone can create change in the world.” Shin, who his teacher, Mrs. Margulies, described as a thoughtful and motivated leader, decided to put that thought into action. He started planning a “Save the Earth Club” that would meet during recess to help clean up trash around the school yard.
Shin told us that he’d been noticing a lot of litter around and really wanted to clean it up to make the school more beautiful. Once he came up with a plan, he created a powerpoint that he presented to each one of the six second grade classes at Bryden Elementary. His club ended up with nearly fifty members! Talk about a motivated group of Bison!
One of the beautiful things about Shin’s plan was how simple it was! To participate, the students only needed a pair of gloves, tongs, and a bucket to collect any trash that was on the ground. He told us that the tongs he used were simply old bar-b-que tongs that his parents didn’t need anymore. Shin also told us that after the work was done each day, it was important to wash your hands. That’s an important thing to always remember! Before we left, we asked Shin what he learned from the club. He told us that “if people work together to fix a problem, the job is always easier.” Teamwork is very important!
Shin’s principal, Ms. DeGeorge told us that "We’re all proud of Shin and all that he has accomplished with the Save the Earth Club. It has been exciting to watch the discovery of his passion to help make the world a better place, and inspire others to do the same! Seeing the impact it has made on our school has been extremely special."
If you’re wondering what’s next for the Save the Earth Club, he has part two planned for the spring. He learned that plants help to clean the air that we breathe so he is going to plant clover, rosemary, and Japanese Skimmen in the school yard this spring!
This week’s A+ Award goes to Shin for making the world a better, and cleaner, place! Congratulations Shin!
Submit your ideas for our NewsDepth A+ segment to newsdepth@ideastream.org for consideration.