SHS Earth Club: The next stewards for the environment

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

Earth Day might come just once a year, but for the Sandpoint High School Earth Club, it’s every day. With only four members, the club aims to bring awareness to environmental concerns and educate people on how they can be better stewards of our planet.

From left to right: Kennedy Denny, Devin McDaniel, Payton Betz and Grace Rookey. Photo by Ben Olson.

“I think of us as seed planters,” said club member Grace Rookey. “It’s not really something that many high schoolers are aware of currently, which is sad. I hope it continues to grow and continues after we leave next year when I’m a senior.”

The club just started back up with a first meeting in November 2022. Currently, members meet weekly on Tuesdays after school to talk about spreading awareness, as well as implementing environmental projects at SHS.

“So far we’ve got aluminum recycling in almost 10 classrooms,” Rookey told the Reader. “We collect cans every Tuesday. We also did a protest on the Willow Project [oil drilling operation in Alaska]. Mostly, our club talks about current things that are going on in the world that involve the environment and politics.”

Rookey said the club’s next big project is starting a composting system at SHS.

“This is a big one for me,” she said. “There’s so much food waste at the school. This is the biggest challenge we’d like to accomplish.”

Rookey said the club needs more members to make some of these projects a reality. While it’s difficult to convince her fellow students to care about these issues, Rookey said the Earth Club remains dedicated.

“I’m so young and seeing so many changes in the environment and the world,” said Rookey. “I really want my children and grandchildren and myself to have access to clean water and healthy soil, nutritious food and clean air going into the future. This is the only planet we’ve got.”