Today may be officially America Recycles Day, but every day is recycling day at Townsell Elementary School. A recent recognition of the town of Irving is proof of this.
Each year, the Irving ISD School that recycles the most paper is recognized by the Town of Irving and Keep Irving Beautiful, an organization dedicated to educating the community about environmental issues to help make Irving a better place to live, work and play.
“This year, I am proud to report that Townsell Elementary School won,” said Jim Scrivner, executive director of facilities and academic support services for Irving ISD and a member of the board of directors of Keep Irving Beautiful. “During the 2020-2021 school year, teachers, students and staff faced many challenges unimaginable before – from safely restarting classroom teaching while maintaining virtual teaching, to one of the worst winter storms in our state’s history, all with the ever- current and ever-changing environment of a global pandemic. Making sure cardboard, paper, plastic and other materials get to the recycling bins instead of the landfill would have been an easy task to overlook, but not at Townsell Elementary.
Townsell students collected around 480 cubic meters of recyclable material, most of it in the form of paper products. This equates to 160 trees saved through recycling at this school alone.
“Trees add value to our lives in many ways, including producing oxygen, removing carbon dioxide, reducing energy use, providing shelter and food for wildlife,” and of course, by their natural beauty, ”explains Scrivner. “All of this makes Irving a greener and healthier community.
As part of the recognition, the school received a 100 gallon, 4 foot Cedar Elm tree. The school’s student leadership team helped plant the tree in front of the school, facing Northgate Drive.
The school’s student animation team; Amber Brooks, Director of Townsell; Scrivner; Dr Andre Smith, District Administrative Officer; Mayor Rick Stopfer; and members of Keep Irving Beautiful attended a dedication ceremony last Friday.
“This tree will be there for you to come and visit after graduation to remind you how valuable your recycling efforts have been to the city and the environment,” says Scrivner. “.