NMS Students Collecting Sneakers For Recycling Program

Newtown Middle School students from left Chase Wurtz, Sam Coffey, Connor Gallagher, and Tommy Gleason, stand together at the Newtown Youth Academy where one collection booth has been set up for the students’ eighth grade science project.

The students are working to collect sneakers to donate to Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program, a recycling program that turns worn-out athletic shoes of all brands into Nike Grind, a material used in sports and playground surfaces.

“We all have extra sneakers,” said Tommy, “and we all just throw them away.”

Chase, the team leader, said the group is looking to collect 300 pairs of sneakers.

“We want to help make the world a better place,” said Chase.

The group’s project, called “We Got Sole,” is part of their eighth grade science project, which all eighth grade students at NMS must complete by choosing different projects. The “We Got Sole” project will be submitted under the Christopher Columbus contest, which asks students to develop and implement a plan to make a difference in their community.

The program started on Monday, December 21, when at the Newtown Youth Academy when the group set up their first collection booth. The students said more collection booths may be place elsewhere in the future, and the program will be collecting shoes at the Newtown Youth Academy through the end of January.