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Hillsborough High School GEAR UP Students Awarded Beautification Grant

Hillsborough High School Freshman Matthew Holte is serving as President of the GEAR UP Mayor’s Beautification Project. He will work with GEAR UP staff to oversee all activities of the recycling project.

“Matthew is definitely a student who GEAR UP can enhance,” said case manager, Electa Davis. “He is already showing excellent leadership skills as a freshman at Hillsborough High School, and is so on target in terms of where he wants to go.”

Matthew’s leadership skills are reflective in his personal dedication to academic success. He takes advantage of the Spanish and Math tutoring programs offered through GEAR UP, and has brought his grades from a B to an A. “I am lucky to get support from home, but for many students here, GEAR UP is really a great opportunity because it keeps kids in check and provides some order in their lives that they don’t get at home.”

Mark C. Wilfalk (right), Chief of Operations at the Tampa Solid Waste Department "talks trash" to GEAR UP Beautification Committee.

Americans throw away enough aluminum each year to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet every 3 months, enough office paper each year to build a 12-foot high wall of paper from New York to Los Angeles, and enough plastic soda bottles each year to circle the earth four times. Unfortunately, today’s youth have grown up in a throw-away disposable society, but with the help of the Mayor’s Beautification Program, Learning to Grow - Growing to Learn Grant, students at Hillsborough High School are becoming more aware of the value of recycling and its impact on the community. With funds of $1,000 received from the Mayor’s Beautification Program, and recycle bins and other resources donated by the City of Tampa Solid Waste Department, GEAR UP students at Hillsborough High school will implement a service learning environmental program in their school.

 

"This section of Tampa is designated as an historical district where homes dating back to Tampa’s earliest beginnings are continually being restored," said USF GEAR UP project director Ruby Joseph. "A recycling program will reduce waste and trash and this will serve to highlight and improve the attractiveness of this Historic school and the immediate surrounding area.”

"The GEAR UP students will help to educate the entire school on the importance of recycling and hopefully this will result in community involvement,” said Judith Dato from the Mayor’s Beautification Program.

It is estimated that about 50% of Hillsborough High School’s waste is recyclable, and that as many as 50 tons annually can be recycled from the school site alone, saving premium landfill space. As part of the implementation process, students will participate in a curriculum offered through the City of Tampa Solid Waste Department, which will include guest speaker training sessions to discuss issues of leadership, recycling and the environment. The City of Tampa Solid Waste Department will also help organize field trips to local recycling facilities and waste management landfills.

"This is a perfect tie-in for our GEAR UP program,” said project director Ruby Joseph. GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs is a federally funded U.S. Department of Education program, which is also supported locally by the Children's Board of Hillsborough County. This academic, social, and cultural enrichment program prepares low-income students to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.

Joseph feels that enrichment opportunities such as the Mayor's Beautification Program help prepare students to engage in civic and community activities. Students on the GEAR UP Recycling Committee will be responsible for planning and operating the recycling program. They have elected officers who collaborate with school administration and staff to put their recycling program into action.

The GEAR UP students have already established recycling sites with appropriate containers donated by the Tampa Solid Waste Department, where students, teachers and faculty, and cafeteria staff can recycle paper, plastic, and aluminum materials. Five recycling containers have been placed inside and in the immediate surrounding areas outside the school cafeteria

Throughout the project, students will develop posters, presentation boards, and discussions that reflect on their achievements, the importance of recycling, and the contribution of this project to the environment. They will be responsible for providing a report to the Mini-Grant Program, summarizing their personal reflections and the progress made toward their project goals.

“This is a student project with student control,” said Joseph, “Our goal is to continue to provide education and information to students in the years to come, and at the same time help develop leaders who will take their knowledge of recycling into communities where they live.”

In May, a reception will be held for all of the Learning to Grow - Growing to Learn grantees to share what they have accomplished. For additional information about the Recycling Project, contact Electa Davis at 276-5620 Ext 312 or Eloise Boterf at 974-6123. For general information about the USF/HHS GEAR UP program contact Ruby Joseph at 974-9339.

 

 

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