CONCORD — Students at Concord-Carlisle High School played a central role in advancing a citizen’s petition at Concord’s Annual Town Meeting that called for the town to study ways to expand and lower the cost of household composting.
Members of the school’s Sunrise Movement Club spent months researching, organizing and building community support for a citizen’s petition article that ultimately passed by a wide margin after several hours of debate.
The article directs the Town of Concord to study the feasibility of a townwide composting program and explore whether Concord could negotiate a contract with a composting provider that would make participation easier and more affordable for residents.
Currently, Concord households can subscribe individually to several third-party composting services. The students’ goal was to examine whether a coordinated town approach could expand access and reduce costs for residents who want to compost.
The effort began about a year ago after community member Shelly Karlin, who is involved with the Mothers Out Front and the town’s Concord Climate Action Committee, approached students about the idea and encouraged them to explore it further.
From there, students took the lead. Club members conducted extensive research, developed a detailed presentation and worked with town departments and community organizations to refine their petition. They also met with representatives from groups including Concord Climate Action Network (ConcordCAN) and the League of Women Voters of Concord-Carlisle to gather feedback and build support.
Students organized outreach efforts across the school and community. They emailed local organizations to seek endorsements and posted flyers to raise awareness about the petition.
Although junior Iliana Benson ultimately presented the article at Town Meeting, the project was the result of months of collaborative work by the entire club.
Advisor Rebecca Meeks supported the students throughout the process, helping guide research and preparation as they developed the petition and presentation materials.
At Town Meeting, the students’ article drew strong support from residents who lined up at the microphone to praise their work and encourage adoption of the petition. A substitute motion on the Town Meeting floor that would have significantly altered the article did not pass. The original citizen’s petition ultimately passed by a vote of 205-35.
“I am incredibly proud of these students,” said Meeks. “They committed so much time and effort over many months to research a complex issue, listen to community feedback and ultimately refine their approach to present an important article to Town Meeting. They represented themselves and Concord-Carlisle High School with maturity and genuine civic engagement.”
The article is intended to begin a research process rather than immediately implement a program. The feasibility study will examine potential options for a town-coordinated composting system and assess whether a negotiated contract could make services more widely available.
“When we were first approached by Shelly Karlin about this, it was just an idea. But this became a full community effort,” said Iliana. “We did a ton of research, met with various groups in town and kept adjusting our article based on feedback. At Town Meeting, it was meaningful to see so many people support something we had worked on for so long.”
The composting proposal is one of several environmental initiatives students have pursued this school year. Members of the Sunrise Club have also participated in the Mass Energize Youth Climate Solutions Challenge and launched a community outreach effort encouraging residents to consider switching from gas stoves to induction cooktops. Another student-led project focused on community education about energy use and climate solutions.
“The Town Meeting presentation was the result of months of research, outreach and refinement by an incredibly dedicated group of students,” said Superintendent Dr. Laurie Hunter. “Their work shows how students can contribute thoughtful ideas and take part in the democratic process in their town.”
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