On November 15 members of Minnechaug’s Above the Influence (ATI) Club and Student Council members of the Class of 2029 met at the Wilbraham Disposal and Recycling Center to sort cans and bottles as a part of a new fundraising initiative they have. From 8-10 am, the students worked together to separate various types of plastic bottles, cans, and glass into trash bags before sending them off to a recycling center in Connecticut where deposits for receivable are 10 cents, compared to 5 cents in Massachusetts.

By the end of the morning, the club collected enough recyclables to raise somewhere between $258, money that the ATI club plans to donate to the freshman Class of 2029 at Minnechaug Regional High School.

ATI has traditionally fundraised for its own benefit, but club advisor, Jay Dalessio explained that he wants the impact to reach further being that the club is already well off from previous fundraisers done at the beginning of the school year.

“It means a lot helping out the community–you know we’re helping out all the classes by you know, recycling. And then we’re also helping out our school…,” said Brayden Tugie, a member of the ATI Club.

ATI’s new fundraising initiative is to rotate donations between the different classes and clubs throughout the year. The club hopes to come out one weekend a month for the rest of the school year–especially during months when alcohol consumption is higher as the number of recyclable containers tend to spike–to continue to raise money and help the community.

Many ninth grade members of the club said it made them feel supported and encouraged. “It’s just really good for our freshman class to get the money,” said freshman Sean Tillberry. Freshman class representative, Alex added, “This money that we’re collecting from recycling–we’re using it towards future events like raffle baskets or pep rallies, and hopefully prom,” when asked what the class of 2029 would do with the extra money.

Not only was this experience helpful for the class of 2029, but it was an opportunity for them to bond and make connections with other members of the ATI club. As Kaitlyn Labradorf put it, “This was really fun to bond with our friends outside of school and help the community.”

Overall, the goal for the ATI club is to keep the cycle going and offer consistent support across Minnechaug’s community. Not only will the school community be supported, but sustainable recycling habits that benefit the environment will be promoted.