Making A Difference One Mask At A Time
Gracelyn Caudle, WSJ Staff Writer
April 30, 2021
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NHS seniors Rosa Navejas, Alicia Flores, and Gracelyn Caudle pose with Security Officer, Miguel Rodriguez, and FBHS receptionist, Melody Vega, after swapping their disposable masks for reusable ones.
Seeking to make an impact at school and share hand-made masks for Earth Day, the National Honor Society (NHS) took matters into their own hands. The goal was simple: make reusable cloth face masks and go room to room to trade them with students wearing single-use face masks.
Within a week, the members made almost 200 reusable cloth face masks by hand. All of the finger pricks and going cross eyed trying to thread the needle was worth it when NHS seniors started passing out the hand-made masks out on Thursday, April 22. Since this was Earth Day, it was extra special for the seniors. The students continued to trade these hand-made masks the next day. Several bags were collected that were filled with masks that were traded during these two days. When word got around, many students and faculty wanted to support the cause and wear the handmade masks. Soon, the hallways were filled with many faces wearing these special hand-made masks.
“I am both amazed and impressed by what our students have accomplished,” NHS sponsor Mrs. Pshigoda said. “To make these masks, spread the word about cleaning up our environment, and collecting disposable masks in exchange for NHS-made masks is something our members should be proud of.”
An estimated 1.5 billion face masks entered our oceans in 2020, according to a story published by NBC News, which mentions a research study done by OceansAsia, a nonprofit marine conservation advocacy organization. This study shows the statistics of how many single-use face masks ended up in the world’s oceans in 2020, resulting in around 4,680 to 6,240 metric tons (roughly 5,160 to 6,880 U.S. tons) of marine pollution. When these single-use face masks are not disposed of properly, they pose a great risk to our environment. These single-use face masks are frequently made up of polypropylene plastic, which often breaks down into smaller pieces and can take as long as 450 years to decompose.
"I am both amazed and impressed by what our students have accomplished."
"I am both amazed and impressed by what our students have accomplished."
-Jennifer Pshigoda
-Jennifer Pshigoda
Along with this, single-use face masks also harm the oceans’ wildlife and ecosystems. Oftentimes, innocent creatures become entangled in or ingest these single-use face masks, and their lives are taken from what seems to be a harmless item. In addition, these masks pose the danger of releasing harmful chemical and biological substances, some of which may be bisphenol A, heavy metals, and pathogenic microorganisms.
Face it, these NHS seniors are truly making a difference for our school, community, and beaches one face mask at a time!
If you or someone you know is repping one of these hand-made masks, share it with our media (on instagram @ fbhs_media ) and the National Honor Society (on instagram @ fbhs_nhs2021 ) teams on social media!
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210310122431.htm
https://www.nbcnews.com/shopping/eco-friendly/eco-friendly-face-mask-n1264810
Freshman Tyler Gilmore models the face mask he picked out on Thursday, April 22.
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