Middletown High School placed first in Frederick County with the most recyclables collected in January. With 4,740 pounds of recycled material, MHS beat 31 schools, including elementary, middle and high schools.

Although MHS has placed in the top five for the past five months, MHS Assistant Principal Mike Watson still feels that students could put more effort into recycling. “I will be walking by a classroom and I will see something that could have been recycled in the trash can,” said Watson.

When Watson sees an opportunity to raise awareness, he takes it. If Watson sees a student throwing a recyclable item in the trash, he will tell the student to “throw the item in the recycle bin.”

Watson said that recycling shouldn’t just be a rule; it’s just something that should be done. “Raising awareness is the only thing we can do at this point,” he said.

He believes that the awareness is great in elementary school but fades away through middle and high school. “The rankings for elementary schools beat high schools by far,” said Watson.

Watson is very busy with other duties; therefore, he says that “raising awareness can be more difficult.”

Watson feels that “students are more likely to listen to peers about recycling rather than staff.” It’s about the students actions that make awareness visible to others.

Watson said Casey Rogers, MHS math teacher, holds events to raise awareness about recycling, which is an example of how MHS can recycle more effectively.