Project a shoe-in for students
Published Saturday, April 26, 2008
Photo by Jeff Hage
Fergus Falls Middle School students will be embarking on a drive Monday to collect shoes which will be shipped to Fargo for recycling into sports equipment. Among those participating in the show drive are student council members Megan Fritz, Ryan Sorkness, Ben Ronning, Lexi Wedll, Andy Eerdmans, Jasmine Richey, Matt Donoho, and Kayla Norman.
Fergus Falls Middle School students are on the hunt for used tennis shoes.
For the first year, the school is taking part in Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program, an international campaign that turns old running shoes into new athletic fields.
“I thought it would be a good way to help the environment and get the school involved,” said Megan Fritz, who first introduced the project to the school.
Fritz, an eighth-grader, discovered the program in a magazine last December. Her love of sports and interest in environmental efforts motivated her to get the school involved. After doing a little research on the Internet, she took her idea to fellow student council members. The council was thrilled with the plan but decided to hold off on the project until closet-cleaning season.
The school will kick off the program on Monday, with shoe collection boxes in the main office and classrooms. They’re accepting donations from anyone within the community and are encouraging churches and other organizations to get involved in the effort. They’ll wrap up the project on May 23 — the last day of school — and ship the shoes off to the nearest drop-point, Minnkota Recycling in Fargo.
From there, shoes will be sent to Portland, Ore., for processing. The rubber, fabric and foam from shoes are broken down to create material used in athletic playing fields, such as basketball courts, running tracks, soccer fields and tennis courts. For Fritz and her classmates, the drastic transformation is amazing and exciting.
The program has helped create over 200 playing fields throughout the world. It’s hard to say where Fergus Falls shoes will end up, but as Fritz said, no matter where go, they’ll be useful.
The Nike program is accepting dry running shoes of any brand. Dress shoes and cleats will not be accepted. Everyone within the community is welcome to help out with the project. Shoes can be dropped off at the Fergus Falls Middle School main office during regular school hours.
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