With the pandemic behind us, the 2022-2023 school year has unfolded as a truly spectacular one! Now, you might be wondering about the exciting new developments our Green Team Has in store for us. In a follow-up interview conducted by Jiawei Liu with Jill Ward, we’ll delve into the remarkable initiatives and accomplishments of the Green Team. Additionally, core group volunteers Jill Weng and Hillary Anderson-Oei have made significant contributions to the cause, which we’ll also learn about in the following discussion. （For the content below, unless otherwise specified, was provided by Jill Ward, and rewriiten by Jiawei）

Last year was fantastic for lunch sorting at Harrington. We had a handful of dedicated parents who were able to come in weekly plus a few who filled in as their schedules allowed. Currently the composting program can’t run without parent volunteer supervision. The way our lunch schedule is structured, we need to have at least 3 parents helping each full week day (Monday-Thursday), and with a minimum of 12 lunch shifts per week you can imagine we are always looking for fresh parent/caregiver recruits. ANY amount of time a parent’s schedule allows them to come in throughout the school year is appreciated, even once a month!  Supervising sorting is not difficult, and you get the added benefit of getting to see your child during the school day!

Click HERE to sign up! 

The main parent volunteers now have matching Green Team t-shirts and aprons to protect their outfits (on cheese sauce day, for example)!  We also have kid-sized aprons and allow up to 3 student helpers per lunch shift.  So many kids were interested in helping last year that we used a rotation schedule to make sure they were all able to get a turn!  

Amy Armitage (now with the Clarke Green Team) and her son Lewis helped put together a video that we showed at an All-Hawks meeting to explain to kids how to sort their trash at lunch. We showed this video to all the students last year at the start of the school year and will be using it again this year.  Harrington Green Team Intro Video One thing to note about the video is that the day we did filming lunch was outside, which is not typical, and some of the packaging of the school lunches is different now, but the principles of sorting remain the same.  

This past spring the 5th graders and their families came to the school on a Sunday in May and cleaned up the school grounds by picking up trash. In the lively cafeteria, students, often brimming with energy from recess, relish the opportunity to socialize with their friends. Before lunch, we set up bins labeled for trash, composting (food), and recycling (water bottles). Donning green aprons and disposable gloves, we assist students as they empty milk cartons or water bottles into a bucket and place capped water bottles in the recycling bin. We guide them in separating items like fruit containers, yogurt cups, ketchup packets, and black plastic utensils from food scraps, white compostable utensils, and used napkins. To save space, trays are neatly stacked on a table next to the compost bin. We keep a trash grabbing tool on hand for occasional mishaps. To encourage cooperative waste management, we suggest students line up orderly, keep bottle caps on, sort their tray items, pour liquids gently, and stack trays neatly. A warm smile can make all the difference!

- Provided by Jill Weng and Hillary Anderson-Oei

Food Rescue Another initiative worth highlighting is the Food Rescue Program in both middle schools and the high school.  Here is a link to more information on that:

https://www.lexingtongreenteams.org/volunteer/food-rescue

We would love to eventually include the elementary schools in food rescue but for the time being it’s just the older grades.  

“Green Beans”  We're hoping to pitch the idea of a “Green Beans” student group to Hawks Council this year as something the 5th graders can lead. They would take charge of Trash Walk Wednesdays–the after school informal walk we do around the playground area when the weather is nice.  Although Green Beans hasn’t gotten off the ground yet we’re hoping it will soon!

Ward family Green Team picture from Harrington Hurrah!

Another major update is the progress that was made last school year on the Harrington School Garden. Jackie Daley, Principal of Harrington Elementary, said in her recent back-to-school email update, “I am excited to see how the garden is used by our staff and students in the upcoming year. We have harvested some tasty vegetables over the summer!”

Last fall we received a grant from the Lexington Field and Garden Club to improve Harrington's school garden and make sure it was an inclusive space for all students. Eventually each grade will have its own garden bed and there is a science curriculum for each grade to learn through the garden. Over the summer a portion of the garden was landscaped for the addition of accessible raised beds and pathways. We’re hoping eventually to have signage for the plants in the garden possibly with QR codes that link to information about specific plants!  

The second graders studied a variety of plants native to this region, then had a chance to plant them in a special section of the School Garden! Trevor Smith of Weston Nurseries helped them plant a beautiful pollinator garden in the hopes of providing sufficient food to reverse the decline in pollinators. If you haven’t stopped over, you should! The kids decorated paint-stick signs with the name of the plant they researched and planted - a few favorites that I had never heard of: Spotted Joe Pye Weed and Broad-leaved Mountain Mint.

The Harrington Parent Teacher Association (Harrington PTA) is a volunteer organization that works with families, staff, and the administration to provide resources and programming that directly benefits the students of Harrington. By becoming a member, you can directly benefit your child and the learning community in which they are a part. 

You can join at this link: https://harringtonelem.membershiptoolkit.com

Donations are always accepted! All donations go directly to support the programs and events Harrington Schools offers. No amount is too small - please consider making a donation today.

Harrington PTA website:   https://harringtonpta.github.io/