MICHIGAN CITY, IN - June 24, 2020 -- Krueger Middle School students learned an important lesson this school year: Helping the Earth can be VERY rewarding.
The school was notified earlier this month that it finished among the top schools in the nation in the 2020 PepsiCo Recycle Rally Challenge. Throughout the school year, KMS collected 194 tons of recycled goods, including plastic #1 beverage bottles, plastic milk cartons, and aluminum drink cans.
Krueger Middle School Environmental Science teacher Daisy Lee coordinated the effort. Students and families brought in items to be recycled and weighed for the challenge, which also expanded to the community as several businesses began recycling and hosting collection bins. Participating businesses included LaPorte Insurance Agency, the Elston YMCA, and Anytime Fitness.
With the help of the students, parents, teachers, and the community, Krueger finished 6th in the challenge and received a prize of $25,000.
Last school year, the school finished in 9th place in the competition and received $10,000. Funds were used for upgrades and repairs to the gym, athletic uniforms, and a variety of other needs.
This year, funds will be used for a variety of projects the school is identifying, including picnic tables for outdoor classrooms, new uniforms and equipment for additional athletic teams, and items to increase student engagement in school clubs and programs.
“This has been an incredible opportunity to help our school and help our students make recycling a lifelong habit,” said Lee. “More and more kids are recycling on a consistent basis and realizing that their small actions can have much larger impacts.”