In the fall of 2014, Principal Deborah Stevenson was approached by fourth-grader Cora Clark who was concerned that the school didn't recycle. Cora said she decided to start the club because at the time she was learning about recycling and how landfills are overwhelmed with waste.

"We've made a big change in the environment and have helped our community a lot," said Cora, the club's president. "I'm hoping it will live on even when I'm in middle school next year."

The school's Joy Garden was created in 2013 to teach special-needs students about responsibility and to learn how to grow and take care of plants. Shortly after the school's recycling club was created, the Joy Garden was incorporated to form the TreeHuggers Club. The club works with the school's special needs students to grow flowers, blackberries, herbs, lettuce, kale, broccoli, sugar snap peas and more.

The club members make sure that all of the school's used paper, newspaper, aluminum cans, printer ink cartridges, and plastic bottles are recycled. Rain water is also collected in a barrel near the garden. The water is used for the garden's plants, and compost that the students make is used to fertilize the soil.

The students even decided to begin collecting cans curbside from people in the car rider pickup line at school. Recyclables don't have to be just from students and people affiliated with the school. Anyone in the community can bring in items to recycle.

To help, the rest of the students learned what should be recycled and bins were placed in every classroom. But this spring, the club noticed that kindergartners had been throwing candy wrappers and items in the bins that weren't supposed to be there so they decided to take recycling education a bit further. The club used puppets and games to get the kids to choose which items should be recycled and which ones should not.

"They had to answer which one was good for recycling," Cora said. "They had a lot of fun and now they know what to recycle and what not to."

Sherry Jackson, the special education teacher's assistant and club leader, said the most impressive thing is "we have fourth- and fifth-graders that have inspired adults and the community to get involved in recycling. They've motivated others to not only participate but to learn about recycling, myself included. ... What they initiated has been like a little wildfire. It's taken off and it's grown beyond Emmett."

To become a club member, kids have to fill out an application and write an essay about why they want to recycle.

"They're very passionate about this," said Cheryl Chandler, special education teacher and club leader.

Any proceeds from the recyclables are put back into the club, and the students hold fundraisers, like school dances, to help keep the club going.

In addition to Cora, the 2015-16 school year club members were Abby Johnson, Sophie Johnson, Clayton Carr, Luke Singleton, Emily Childress, Saylor Morgan and Kaden Ward.

"I wanted to get to be a part of this because it sounded really fun," said Emily, the club's secretary. "I wanted to help our environment."

Club members will be honored at the Sullivan County Board of Education's July 11 meeting.