POULSBO — One simple project was all it took to get the ball rolling in Corrine Williams’ statistics class at North Kitsap High School. The end result showed the dedication of 25 mathematical geniuses making a positive impact on their surrounding environment.

The class hosted a recycling presentation May 24 to a group which included North Kitsap School District staff and school board members.

“A junior high in our area has a recycling program and our high school didn’t,” said NKHS statistics student Jenn Grunigen. “As a group we thought it was important that our school was environmentally friendly. If students recycle now, they will probably continue to do it as adults.”

Some statistics students decided to tackle the arduous task of sifting through random trash cans in the high school commons in February to find out just how many discarded items were indeed recyclable.

“It honestly wasn’t the most pleasant experience sorting through the garbage, but it fostered a large amount of camaraderie,” Grunigen said. “In spite of the stench, we were able to get through it.”

Just as they had suspected, there were numerous recyclables in the mix. After their discovery, students brought in three separate recycling bins (metals, plastics, glass) into the commons in March to give fellow students an opportunity to pitch in to the positive effort.

“For the first few days people just thought they were trash cans,” Grunigen said. “After awhile people started to get used to seeing them and started to recycle a lot. The bins began to fill up regularly.”

Not only did the bins fill up, but the amount of trash in the regular containers decreased significantly.

“In February, we estimated that there was 9,000 pounds of waste going into trash cans in the commons,” Grunigen said. “By March, there was only 4,000 pounds in those same trash cans. It’s a pretty significant drop. The recycling paid off.”

While the statistics students have created an informal recycling program, they’re hoping it will eventually become official at NKHS.

“We’re not an official program yet. Waste management doesn’t pick up any of our recycle bins,” Grunigen said. “Students empty the recycling containers. It would be great to get funding in the future from the school district for our program. It would be nice if waste management picked up the recycling bins for us.”

Grunigen and Kendall Jennings were the catalysts behind the program, Williams said.

“They were the ones who were emotionally behind this project,” she said. “They have excellent organizational skills and were incredibly focused the whole time since we began the project.”

Jennings said it’s important for people to take care of the earth in the same manner they would take care of the everyday essentials in their lives.

“This is our only planet,” she said. “We need to take care of the planet like we take care of our room, house or school.”

Williams said her statistics class did a wonderful job of contributing to the class project.

“I am completely impressed by our entire class,” she said. “Everybody played an instrumental part in making the presentation work. They put in so much preparation time. They put together a phenomenal presentation for our audience today.”

Other members of Williams’ statistics class contributing to the recycling program presentation included Jillian Calahan, Paul Stock, Hilary Groh, James May, Gary Bleedorn, Alisa Samborski, Sydney Wilson, Brandy Meek, Cora Heins, Melissa Lucas, Laurel Patton, Heather Raines, Steven Kirk, Lauren Curtis, Lauren Miele, Kaitlin Halady, Tasha Rogers, Erin Sutcliffe, Paige Woodside, Candyce Eaton, Kevin Joines, Shane Loomis and Josh Holliday.