![Teacher Academy students from Ankeny Centennial, juniors Parker Wilson, Tony Mandolfo, and Sophia Royster develop their lesson plans that will be presented to the class. “[Teacher Academy students are] getting the experience of actually seeing if this is a career. They're getting that time in the classroom,” Teacher Academy and science teacher Kristen Campbell-Blumhagen (CB) said.](https://ahstalonnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/centennialstudents-1200x683.png)
Walking up to the main entrance at Ankeny High School (AHS) students can see many forms of trash on the ground, from a half-eaten chicken nugget to a Dr. Pepper bottle that is shaking with the wind. If they look over to the grass there are a group of neon energy drinks that have been crushed and stepped on.
The Environmental Club is a student-led club that is getting off the ground at AHS. One of their focuses is cleaning up AHS as well as promoting the idea of being mindful of the environment and starting initiatives that help to protect it or encourage the importance of it.
“I didn’t know it existed last year,” senior and Environmental Club leader Miriam Storey said. “I was noticing how much trash there was all around the parking lots, so I would just pick it up by myself. Then I was like, it would be better if I had more people.”
Last year in 2023 the club existed but did not have as many members, compared to this year with around 10 to 15 consistent people. The leaders have also taken a lot more charge in the projects they want to implement.
“We have great student leadership,” Environmental Club sponsor Taylor Hubbard said. “We have a few students that have really taken the bull by the horns, so to speak.”
When considering joining the club some students may believe all the Environmental Club does is pick up trash, and while that is one aspect of what they do, there is a lot more to the club.
“The goal of the club is to get people interested in helping the environment around Ankeny High School and in Ankeny in general,” senior and co-Environmental Club leader Avery Bacon said. “So we’re focusing more on projects that have to do with the high school and with our community.”
(Lydia Gerety)
A part of the environmental club is the beautification of Ankeny High School’s outdoor areas. This could be making sure they are cleaned up or adding something new.
“We want to have a school garden,” Storey said.
Adding a school garden is not the only bigger project the Environmental Club is thinking about, they are also exploring partaking in or hosting school or community events to promote being mindful of the environment.
“An Earth Day initiative is already put on by the Parks and Rec of Ankeny,” Bacon said. “So we’re gathering a group of people that are interested, they would be cleaning waterways around the high school, and it would be a drive for trees.”
With a lot of ideas and projects to think about, the Environmental Club has begun to divide into separate factions to make it easier to tackle these projects. However, that does not mean members will get stuck in one area.
“Everyone has their own part,” Bacon said. “Everyone is able to pitch ideas if they want to.”
The Environmental Club noticed a problem at AHS and they have decided to take action.
“We want something to change,” Storey said. “We can recognize that stuff is not perfect and we want to help make it a little better.”
