The Price Middle School Green Squad helps students see themselves as change agents. Every Friday morning, the group meets to learn lessons about the environment and what is happening around the world.

“The Green Squad is a great example of why Purpose Built Schools invests in enriching programs beyond the classroom,” says Luqman Abdur-Rahman, principal of Price Middle School. “The group gives students purpose, identity and confidence.”

Each week, the Green Squad, led by Ms. Morgan and Mr. Gutierrez, learns something new about the environment and puts it into action. They learned about where their trash goes, from the time it leaves their hands to its final destination in a landfill.

When they saw images of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the middle of the ocean, students were committed to doing whatever they could to stop plastic use in their community. They found recycling bins and put them around the school. Every week, students collect the bins and dump their contents into the big recycle bin outside the school.

The Green Squad applied to be part of the City of Atlanta’s Adopt-A-Spot Project and the Keep Atlanta Beautiful Commission, programs that encourage groups to maintain their streets from litter. They now have a street sign in the neighborhood, so that residents know that Price students are invested in the community.

The Green Squad is open to any student interested in bringing environmental change around the school. Currently, the squad consists of 45 students.

“At Price we focus on building bridges,” says Principal Abdur-Rahman. “We must continue to use the momentum of the Green Squad to remind students of how amazing, powerful, and capable they all are. That is what leads to the self confidence and belief they need to be successful in life.”