‘Reduce, reuse, recycle’ was the motto for pupils of St Joseph’s High School, as they had their say on the matter of pollution while expressing themselves in a number of creative ways.

The school spent the day learning about the importance of recycling and reducing waste, as well as taking part in team-building exercises such as escape rooms and cheerleading.

With a helpful donation of nearly-expired food from Asda, a group of Year 9 and 10 students gave a hand to head of catering Joanne Fowler in the kitchen, and prepared a three course lunch for 50 staff members using food that most would consider waste.

“With the theme for the day being recycling, reusing, and reducing, the obvious choice was to get involved with Asda’s Fight Hunger scheme,” Joanne explained. “The group of pupils taking part in the cooking all volunteered to be here, and they’re really enjoying themselves.”

Asda representative, Kevin Hunt, commented on the school’s involvement with Fight Hunger and playing their part in reducing waste, saying: “It’s just fantastic – it’s so great that the school want to be involved in reducing food waste, and we’re really happy to be a part of the day.”

He continued: “People think ‘sell by’ means food’s not good after that, so it’s just a case of educating people, and letting them know it’s safe to eat, and there’s still goodness in food that’s reached its sell by date.”

On top of the environmental aspect of the day, pupils enjoyed taking part in graffiti art, song writing, dance workshops and more – anything that allowed them to explore their creativity.

Year 10 pupil Josh Musgrave was part of the team creating a graffiti eye, and commented on the art’s meaning to him: “I’m really enjoying learning the new skill, and this art is important in reminding people to not just dump their waste and plastic in the ocean, because there are animals that are harmed by it.”

Headteacher Jacky Kennedy said: “Each subject had its own creative project on for the day. This is the beginning of experimenting with the curriculum, getting the pupils taking part in valuable experiences that aren’t exam based.

“It’s a great way to spark the children’s interest in subjects and areas they hadn’t thought of before, like those who have spent the day cooking, or tie-dyeing in the art department.”