Clarke Central High School Ecology Club member Aidan Woodward, a senior, collects the contents of a recycling bin outside of the CCHS Media Center on April 30. The Ecology Club’s Eco-Fair will take place on May 14 and was organized to encourage more students to join the club, inform them about its values and bring the CCHS community together. “(The Eco-Fair is for) creating community, getting the name out (and making) people more aware of choices that they make,” Ecology Club sponsor and science department teacher Claude Gonzalez said. “That’s a big thing with environmentalism: the choices you make on (a) personal level affect others.” Photo by Emlyn McKinney
The CCHS Ecology Club will hold the Eco-Fair in the CCHS Bus Loop from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on May 14 to spread awareness about the club and its values.
On May 14, the Clarke Central High School Ecology Club will host its first Eco-Fair in the CCHS Bus Loop from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The event is open to all Athens community members in an effort to attract future Ecology Club members and inform people about the club’s focus on benefiting the environment.
The Eco-Fair will feature a raffle, a bake sale, games and booths run by CCHS students and local entrepreneurs, along with live music from lucky girl, an indie-pop band composed of CCHS students. The event won’t have an entry fee, but the bake sale and raffle will raise funds for future Ecology Club efforts, such as supporting CCHS’ recycling bin program.
A promotional poster for the Clarke Central High School Ecology Club’s Eco-Fair is shown above. The club’s members were the sole organizers of the upcoming Eco-Fair, which will feature everything from a CCHS student vendor selling handmade jewelry to a fundraising raffle. “One of the things about the Ecology Club is I have allowed it to be a club that is led by students. They make the decisions of what we’re going to do,” Ecology Club sponsor and science department teacher Claude Gonzalez said. “I can advise the students, but the fair is their doing.” Poster courtesy of Flannery Ragan
“(Part of) the reason that we wanted to have the fair was (because) you can’t have a bake sale anymore at (CCHS), and (our club) used to do bake sales,” Ecology Club Vice President Sam Caspary, a junior, said. “We were just missing that outreach and fundraising aspect of the club, so we (planned) this event.”
The Eco-Fair was born out of a club meeting, where all members were able to develop the idea. Despite being the Ecology Club sponsor, science department teacher Claude Gonzalez allows the group to be student-led, giving them free rein over the event’s organization.
“Watching (the members) in meetings, it’s very organic,” Gonzalez said. “Somebody may come up with an idea, and then somebody else will add or change something, and by the end of the discussion, (they have) something that is unique.”
“I want a ton of people to be there so that the club can be more known about. I feel like nobody really knows about Ecology Club, but I love (it).”
— Sam Caspary,
Ecology Club Vice President
Although the Ecology Club faced scheduling challenges, the Eco-Fair is now in its final stages of planning. With the event fast approaching, Caspary is looking forward to sharing her passion for the environment and the club with a wider community.
“I want everybody to have fun,” Caspary said. “I want a ton of people to be there so that the club can be more known about. I feel like nobody really knows about Ecology Club, but I love (it). We are striving to create a space where young people can learn to make a change and use their voice for good.”
