Published: March 31, 2009 03:51 pm      

A green legacy

Students in Precinct 2 schools learn habit of recycling

WEATHERFORD — Recent students of Peaster, Poolville and Garner ISD have grown up recycling, all because of a question over 15 years ago from one kindergartner to her mother.

That mother, and now a grandmother, Marcia Boatman, is a local teacher who after 29 years is retiring from the profession she loves. Yet Boatman’s legacy will continue on after this final year of teaching, as she, along with the help of Parker County Precinct 2 employees, have developed a weekly recycling program that seems to be the highlight of the students’ week.

Beginning at 8 a.m. every Friday, Parker County Precinct 2 employees Calwin Kirk and Aubrey Ellison drive their truck to Peaster Elementary School, hauling a 16-foot trailer carrying 20 trash cans and a large bin for cardboard. Kirk or Eillison will step into the office to let the school know they are there. Minutes later an announcement goes out over the intercom system letting teachers and students know the recycling truck is outside.

“The younger students enjoy it so much they sometimes race to see who the first one is to dump their paper, plastics or cardboard,” Kirk said. “It really warms the heart to see the joy on these kids faces. They seem to enjoy doing something good for the environment.”

Back to the question that started it all.

Many years ago, when Boatman and her then 5-year-old daughter were driving down the road, the daughter asked her mom “Why does God let people throw their trash out of their cars and onto the road?”

With tears in her eyes, Boatman recalls the event.

“From that point I knew what I had to do,” she said. “I knew the Precinct 2 barn had recycling bins, so we would load all the recyclables we could into this 15 passenger van that we had and take it out to the county barn.”

Before long the load got to be too much. Boatman and Kirk, who would always help her unload the van, thought of a solution.

Kirk asked and received permission to take a truck out to Peaster ISD to pick up the bags of recyclable material. From that point on, Precinct 2 started making it out to the schools every Friday, to the delight of Boatman.

That was more than 15 years ago. As time went on, commissioners changed, but the program remained and even grew under current Commissioner Joe Brinkley.

“It is an excellent opportunity and program for the schools and their students, and great for our environment,” Brinkley said. “We decided that it was working so well in Peaster, that we should give the opportunity to the students and teachers of Poolville and Garner as well.”

Kirk said that decision has paid off.

“It gets a little better every year,” he said. “Sometimes we have so much from Peaster that we have to go back to the barn and empty it all before we go to Poolville and Garner.”

For Boatman, the growth of the program has been very rewarding.

Kirk said the program would have never developed to the point it is now without her, and she says the same thing about Kirk, Ellison, Brinkley and the rest of the Parker County Precinct 2 crew who make it happen every Friday.

“My big question is, from the inside of the school, who is going to keep this going?” she said. “My message is: It only takes one person.”