Environmental Club Takes Charge

Mercedes Lingle

The issue of climate change has been brought to life in South Hadley by the Environmental Club, and on Friday May 24th, two South Hadley High students led a walkout to raise awareness about the topic. Around the world, hundreds of countries partake in student walkouts, led by Swedish student Greta Thunberg. She began protesting last year, to combat the growing threat of global warming.

 

Maggie Rahilly, a sophomore, is the president of the Environmental Club at SHHS, and she decided that our school should follow the thousands of other high schools in this fight. With the help of senior Luke Petrosky and many other students, she led the march from SHHS to town hall, with police officers and media following the students. Many participants held signs, bearing statements such as, “There is no planet B”, and “Can you explain to my children what a polar bear was?”. These signs are now displayed across the town, mostly on the walls of the high school.

 

The administration at the high school gave no consequence to any student who had a signed permission slip from a parent, allowing them to participate in the walk-out. Those who did not have physical evidence that they were allowed to leave school only had to pick up any trash that they found on the ground, with no other repercussions. With a cause as worthy as climate change, picking up trash is a small price to pay.