NHS Club Proves ‘Concerns’

Make A Difference

By Eliza Hallabeck

Without even realizing the pun, Lori Silber, Newtown High School parent advisor to the school’s Vegetarian and Animal Concerns Club, said “We’ve got a lot on­ our plates, but we are making a difference. We really are,” at the group’s meeting on October 29.

Dan Shields, RD, food service director for Chartwells in Newtown, was at the club’s meeting to receive a thank you for changing from Styrofoam food serving items to paper in the school’s cafeteria.

“There is a lot that our club wants to do,” said Ms Silber, who added the club is entering its second year of existence at the high school.

Every Thursday afternoon the Vegetarian and Animal Concerns Club meets to discuss upcoming initiatives and concerns in the community.

“There is a total of 5,400 kids [in the Newtown Public School district],” said Ms Silber, “and if everybody uses just one Styrofoam item each day, which some use more, it comes out to 1,080,200 pieces of Styrofoam used each year. That’s just for Newtown’s schools, and that’s minimum.”

Ms Silber’s daughter, Alissa, founded the club at the high school last year.

“We just want to thank you for taking the time to talk to us,” said Alissa, “and definitely for eliminating the Styrofoam.”

Mr Shields said the only other school where Styrofoam has been eliminated is Newtown Middle School, which is using the same paper plates now used at the high school.

“The problem with the younger grades is the kids are still young, and are unable to use things like a boat,” said Mr Shields. “We still have to use the foam trays with them. There are paper alternatives, but the problem with that is they are three times the cost of a foam tray.”

Mr Shields said Chartwells would need a directive from the Board of Education to go with a green product, and the increase of cost of the green product.

Ms Silber asked Mr Shields who people can contact to ask the school board to change to green products with Chartwells.

Ms Shields said people can contact any member of the Board of Education.

“The town is our client,” said Mr Shields. “So we have to pretty much comply with what they tell us to do. Until they realize this is an important issue, like we all do, and say to us, ‘Okay we are going to either raise the cost of a meal by about 15 cents per student, or we are going to absorb the cost.’ Until one of those two things happens, we are still on Styrofoam now.”

Alissa said the high school used approximately five different items made from Styrofoam, and if every student in the school used one Styrofoam product per day it would be roughly 345,000 items in landfills per year.

“And that is just Newtown High School,” said Ms Silber.

Mr Shields said Chartwells serves only about 30 percent of the population at Newtown High School.

For responding to the club’s request to change the Styrofoam products at the high school to paper, Mr Shields received a medal, a pin, and many thanks from the members of the group during the meeting.

After Mr Shields left the club’s meeting, the club switched its focus to the issue of deer culling.

“As a club we are trying to open the residents eyes, and let them know what is happening,” said Ms Silber, “so at least they can have a say in it.”

Alissa spoke on the subject at a recent meeting of the Tick-Borne Disease Committee. Reading from a prepared speech, she noted, “My Animal Concerns Club at the high school has been hard at work since last November of last year in getting the word out and education people about what could potentially happen in our town.”

Within the effort to educate residents, Alissa said the group posted flyers around town that read, “Say No To Bait And Shoot.”

“We want to make magnets for the Newtown No Deer Culling campaign,” said Ms Silber.

“There is a lot that our club wants to do,” said Ms Silber. She added the dedication of the club’s members has included attending Board of Selectmen meetings and the organization of a tag sale/holiday bazaar, scheduled to be held in the school’s cafeteria on December 12. The money raised from the tag sale/holiday bazaar will be put toward animal organizations in town.

A future initiative the group is attempting to put together a is nature walk with area Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts.