Thursday, October 1, 2026
Freeport High School’s Rotary Interact Club has earned first-place honors in Rotary District 7255’s Fourth Annual Recycling Bin Design/Painting Contest, taking the top spot among Interact clubs across Long Island. The win brings home a $500 prize and marks the club’s strongest finish yet in the environmentally focused competition.
The contest, held in partnership with the Evan R. Liblit Memorial Scholarship Fund Committee, challenges Interact Clubs to design and paint a recycling bin that promotes America Recycles Day, Earth Day, and Rotary’s seventh area of focus — Supporting the Environment. Participating clubs are required to obtain a recycling receptacle, create an original design reflecting those themes, and submit photographs of their work for judging by November 3.
Freeport students are no strangers to the competition. “This was the third year that we were involved, but it’s actually this is the fourth year or fourth annual contest,” said club advisor Brianne Underwood, a math teacher at the high school. “The first year we entered, and we came in second place… and this time around, we came in first place.”
Underwood has led the club for four school years and oversees roughly 45 student members who meet twice monthly. The contest, she noted, is entirely student-driven. Students reviewed the theme guidelines, formed a committee, sketched their ideas directly onto the bin, and completed the full painting process themselves.
“So something around that theme is what the contest calls for. I shared that information with the students, and then from there, tried to put together a committee, and the students actually came up with the design and then drew it on the bin and painted it, and that was it,” Underwood said.
A senior named Olivia took the artistic lead. Her contribution helped carry the project to first place.
The club’s environmental work is just one piece of its broader service-oriented mission. Sponsored by the Freeport-Merrick Rotary Club, the Interact Club regularly participates in community initiatives, including food drives, donation collections, and volunteer efforts such as the Salvation Army bell-ringing on December 13. Students also take part in fundraising walks; this year alone, the club donated $100 each to four major charity walks supporting epilepsy, Alzheimer’s research, HIV/AIDS advocacy, and breast cancer awareness.
Underwood said the club serves as a powerful reminder to teenagers that their efforts matter.
“I believe is beneficial for students to see, even though they are young adults, that they can still help out within your community and make a difference,” she said. She added that the club helps students build confidence, leadership skills, and a habit of showing up for their community — whether it’s sorting donations on a Saturday or brainstorming new fundraising ideas.
The winning bin — the only physical copy produced — was displayed at the Annual Evan R. Liblit Memorial Scholarship Awards Breakfast on November 19 at the Irish Coffee Pub in East Islip. Afterward, it will return to Freeport High School, where it will remain in the Interact Club’s meeting space.
“We are so proud of our interact club for demonstrating their artistry and creativity by decorating a community (recycling bin),” said Jordan Pecora, immediate past president of the Freeport-Merrick Rotary Club, over text message. “This is to promote Freeport’s mission to support a clean and environmentally safe community.”
With the top prize secured and more service projects on the horizon, Underwood said the club’s momentum continues to build. And for the students who poured their creativity into the recycling bin, the win serves as proof that their voices — and their artwork — can make a mark on the wider community.
