On Monday December 21st, Michael Jasmin and his After School team packaged and UPS’ed to a site in NJ approximately 1100 empty juice pouches which will be “upcycled” in exchange for a financial contribution to PS 261 via a company called TerraCycle. The funds raised won’t single- handedly close 261’s budget gap, and the trash they collect won’t reverse global warming on its own, but over the course of a year After School’s collection team will raise hundreds of dollars for PS 261 while saving thousands of square feet of garbage from a landfill. Not only is this TerraCycle program a fundraiser and great for the envi- ronment, but it is an even better opportunity for the kids who participate. Recently, studies have demonstrated that children who participate in recycling programs score higher in school–particularly on math and science tests. Anyone involved in recycling with kids, such as PS 261’s After School, could have told you that but it is nice to have it confirmed with data.