We are a learning community committed to academic excellence, global awareness, and empowering well-rounded individuals educated for success in life.
The 2023-2024 school year at GIA has been full of exciting changes and initiatives, perfectly aligning with the Earth Day Global theme for 2024: Planet vs. Plastic. Some of our teachers have kicked off a Plastic Waste Recycling Campaign. But the big question was: What should we do with the plastic we collect? After some research, we found the Grace Recycling and Upcycling Center in Berbice, Guyana. Our mission? To collect as many plastic caps as possible from home and school. Why? The center aims to eliminate 300 kg of plastic waste this year! They transform collected caps into upcycled products like keychains, earrings, plant pots, and rulers, to mention a few.
To support this cause, the GIA Earth Week committee started Earth Week activities in March with a plastic cap collection drive. The school community jumped in, making signs and setting up collection containers. It was amazing to see everyone, students and teachers alike, contributing to this effort.
We invited the organization to our opening ceremony on Monday, April 22, 2024. Mrs. Roxanne Ward, a retired educator and environmental enthusiast, spoke to us about her work at the Grace Recycling Center, where she promotes recycling and environmental awareness. Students and teachers loved checking out the display table and buying some of the upcycled items.
Our 11th-grade class took a learning trip to the Grace Recycling Center, and it was a huge hit! We prepared the plastic caps, mixed colors, assembled molds, and watched as our creations took shape. Thank you to Mrs. Ward for the excellent morning and our school administration for making it happen.
During Earth Week, we also held a Gallery Walk with beautiful displays along the hallways, showcasing our students’ dedication to the planet. Thanks to our teachers for their support and guidance in making this project successful.
To wrap up the week, our school community participated in a beach cleanup, collecting plastic caps with Seawalls and Beyond volunteers and the Key Club. The Beach Cleanup was a total success! Thanks to all the parents, students, teachers, school administrators, and volunteers for their support.
We’re excited to announce that the school administration, led by Ms. Shauna Hobbs, continues supporting our plastic recycling initiative, and we will make it year-round starting next school year, 2024-2025. They’ve provided us with 15 recycling bins properly labeled around the school and two plastic melting machines to process bottles and caps. High school students will manage this project under teachers’ supervision. Our goal for this school year is to get a machine to produce plastic filament for our 3D printer and two composters to teach students about making fertilizers. It’s a big goal, but as a community, we can become the first school in Guyana to lead the way in environmental and sustainable care through our words and actions. Let’s do it!
A Learning Community for Excellence
