Lakeview Junior Senior High School
Columbus, Nebraska
Green Team, 4 students
Advisor: Tara Dlouhy
Students across the country are stepping up to solve real challenges in their communities. At Lakeview Junior Senior High School, a team of students saw a need and took action—demonstrating the power of leadership, teamwork, and ingenuity. Their project, Green Team, is a testament to what’s possible when young leaders take charge.
The Need:
Two years ago, the only accessible recycling center within a 15-mile radius of their community shut down. Students noticed the impact firsthand—schools and local businesses had limited options for properly disposing of recyclable materials. Motivated to make a difference, four students set out to restore recycling efforts in their school and city. Along the way, they also aimed to raise awareness about the benefits of recycling and set a goal to raise $500 to support a local recycling center.
The Project:
The team reached out to Keep Columbus Beautiful, a local community improvement organization and national affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. In a meeting with the president of the organization, the students learned why recycling had been eliminated, gained deeper insight into the challenges the city faced, and discovered that the group was in the process of launching its own paper recycling center.
With that momentum, the students met with their school principal and even presented at a school board meeting to propose a partnership between their school and Keep Columbus Beautiful. To support their fundraising goal, they organized a junior high dance, promoting the event and their cause through social media and community outreach.
The Results:
Thanks to their efforts, the school is now able to partner with Keep Columbus Beautiful to reinstate a recycling program. Collected items from the school can be brought directly to the new recycling center. The students exceeded their fundraising goal, raising $600, which they proudly delivered in person to the organization. To support the continued development of the recycling program, Lead4Change awarded the team a $1,000 grant designated to Keep Columbus Beautiful, helping bring their vision for a cleaner, more sustainable community to life.
Empowering Students to Lead with Purpose
These students didn’t just have a great idea—they had the leadership skills to bring it to life. That’s exactly what Lead4Change is all about.
Lead4Change is a free leadership curriculum that helps middle and high school students:
✅ Identify real needs in their communities
✅ Develop creative solutions
✅ Take meaningful action
Just like the students behind project Green Team, your students have the potential to create real change—they just need the right tools.
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Help your students lead, serve, and make a difference with our free, ready-to-use curriculum.
Every student has the potential to be a great leader who gets big things done. Lead4Change unlocks that potential—empowering them to see a problem, take action, and create lasting impact in their communities.
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