- April 26, 2024
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Ellie Pleier, Josie Pleier, Susanna Harris, Kai Bie, Camryn Chiumento, Maycie Shaffer, teacher Tiffany Waters, Weston Waters, Lylah Waters and Peyton Domayer. Photo by Emma Brugna
As their first find, sisters Josie and Ellie Pleier uncover a toothbrush deep beneath the rocks. Photo by Emma Brugna
Peyton Domayer shows how the Conservation Collaborative only uses one plastic glove while picking up trash at their cleanups to minimize waste. Photo by Emma Brugna
Kai Bie and Peyton Domayer pick up a net that they found lying on the sand. Photo by Emma Brugna
Peyton Domayer and Kai Bie attend the beach cleanup hosted Sunday, Feb. 11, at Andy Romano Beachfront Park. Photo by Emma Brugna
Co-founders Camryn Chiumento and Maycie Shaffer pick up a net covered beneath the sand during the cleanup. Photo by Emma Brugna
Camryn Chiumento and Maycie Shaffer get in small spaces to ensure no trash is left on the beach. Photo By Emma Brugna
Susanna Harris attends the cleanup to show her support for conserving the environment and maintaining the beach near her school. Photo By Emma Brugna
Camryn Chiumento and Maycie Shaffer enjoy their time cleaning the beach together. Photo By Emma Brugna
Kai Bie and Peyton Domayer search through the sand for any small pieces of trash that may be overlooked. Photo By Emma Brugna
Ellie and Josie Pleier have attended every beach cleanup held by the Conservation Collaborative. Photo By Emma Brugna
Peyton Domayer and Kai Bie search the final stop of the cleanup. Photo By Emma Brugna
Maycie Shaffer and Peyton Domayer carry a PVC pipe to the dumpster to ensure it is safely off the beach. Photo By Emma Brugna
Think global, act local. The Conservation Collaborative is a student-run club at Seabreeze High School that makes that saying true.
What started as a student-led recycling project last spring to limit the amount of paper wasted at Seabreeze turned into a club this school year, aimed at uniting students and teachers who care about conserving the environment. Seniors Kai Bie and Maycie Shaffer, along with junior Camryn Chiumento, wanted to bring attention to the issue.
Last year during testing season, Bie noticed that one of her teachers threw away test review packets. When she asked if he was going to recycle them, he told her no. So she spoke with teacher Tiffany Waters and a couple students at Spruce Creek High School and asked what other schools did with their paper.
"They told me they shredded it and used it for other purposes, so we continued the same thing here at Seabreeze," Bie said.
Bie presented her idea for a recycling project to Shaffer and Chiumento, and eventually, the three decided to continue their efforts, and expand them, as an official club.
So far, during the 2023-2024 school year, the Conservation Collaborative has conducted three beach cleanups at Andy Romano Beachfront Park, including one on Sunday, Feb. 11, and five recycling days and has also been a part of one climate protest held by Volusia County Fridays for Futures.
Shaffer said that the club helps students become aware of the importance of recycling.
"It promotes conscious conservation on a local level and gets students and teachers excited about doing something as mundane as recycling," she said.
During its beach cleanup events, the Conservation Collaborative also involves other clubs at Seabreeze, including Key Club and Surf Club, to ensure the beach will be cleaned as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Shaffer said that getting more clubs involved "helps take the environmental efforts from last year to a new level."
In 2023, the three had begun to recycle on a much smaller scale, with the help from about five or six teachers. However, in just six months, the club's reach has involved 22 teachers on campus. At the beginning of the school year, the club placed recycling bins in each participating classroom, where the teachers had their students recycle paper instead of throwing it away.
Then, one day a month, members from the club collect the paper and bring it to Waters' classroom, as she is the sponsor of the club. After that, Bie, Chiumento and Shaffer bring the paper to the Exceptional Student Education building for shredding. The shredded paper is then delivered to the agriculture program to be used for animal bedding.
By participating in these recycling efforts, Chiumento said that people are made aware of how much paper would otherwise be wasted.
"It kind of puts it in the forefront of their mind and makes them aware that it is an issue, and it's something they can help fix," Chiumento said.
