Dover High School’s Earth Action Club held its clothing swap on March 8th of this year. Although the pandemic interrupted our plans for a follow up to our original event in 2019, we successfully pulled one together for 2022. Club members rallied for its return, at the head of this was junior Jill Covey, who organized the swap and advocated for bringing it back from the beginning of the school year. She worked with the school’s librarian, Mrs. Whitworth, to organize the clothes in the library so that the swap would be easy for students to navigate.
Dover High Earth Action knew engagement was going to be vital to the project. It is incredibly important in such a large school to spread awareness of events, so advertising was an essential part of the process. Social media was used as a medium to connect with students quickly and efficiently. To reach the most people possible, the swap was also advertised over announcements throughout the day, as well as on a large poster hung in DHS’s ‘town square’, and a mural drawn in the hallway, all done by Earth Action members.
On the day of the event, bags of second-hand items from teachers and students steadily grew into a pile of clothing ready for a new life. Members of the club organized the donations in the library the night before the swap, finding a variety of unique styles and pieces. As soon as the school day started, students headed to the library and began sifting through piles of clothing ranging from tee shirts, to scarves, and sunglasses. As the day progressed, clothing left the school just as steadily as it had arrived, all in the hands of happy students and staff. Over 250 students visited the swap in just the 7 hour school day.
In the days following the event, it was exciting to look around the halls and see students wearing clothing they got at the swap. The donations could have all ended up in landfills, but instead became new, free pieces of clothes for students and teachers alike. In addition, it helped to build a community within the school that will hopefully continue to practice more eco-friendly habits in their daily lives. With the major success of the swap behind Dover’s Earth Action club, they look forward to more events later in the year, as well as bringing the clothing swap back next school year, and seeing other schools plan similar events!
Connect with Dover Earth Action on Instagram - @dhs.earthaction