During the 2024–25 school year, Ashley Hall’s long-standing Pop Tab Collection initiative experienced a meaningful transformation as it aligned with the School’s United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) project. The project invited students in Grades 1–12 to see a familiar activity in a new light, as the school community collectively focused on Goal #3: Good Health and Well-Being, to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being.

With the added context, the Pop Tab Collection project took on renewed purpose. Students gathered the aluminum tabs from beverage cans to benefit Charleston’s Ronald McDonald House, helping offset operational expenses through recycling revenue. While small, these pop tabs add up quickly—over 1,200 make a pound—and are far easier to clean and store than full cans, making the campaign both manageable and effective.

Tyler Moseley, Community Partnerships and Global Education Coordinator, shared her enthusiasm for the initiative’s evolution, noting that the UNSDG connection offered students a deeper global context: “Through the UNSDG filter, we’re able to give our students a global perspective and also help them understand that small actions within their community can have real impacts. That’s what the UNSDGs are all about—concrete ways to make the world a better place.”

This year’s program also benefited from the enthusiastic involvement of the Big Sister Little Sister program, which added a collaborative and competitive spirit to the effort. Upper School students teamed up with their younger “Littles” to collect tabs together, sparking cross-divisional camaraderie and grade-level challenges that boosted participation across the Lower School.

By linking a well-known tradition to a globally recognized goal, Ashley Hall gave new meaning to a beloved service activity. The 2024–25 Pop Tab Collection was a powerful example of how small, everyday actions, when framed by broader values, can become transformative educational experiences.

Looking ahead to the 2025–26 school year, Ashley Hall is excited to expand this work by taking a more holistic and integrated approach to the UNSDGs. With an eye toward exploring the interconnectedness of the goals, the school community plans to broaden its lens, encouraging students to examine how health, sustainability, equity, and innovation can intersect in meaningful ways. This widened focus will continue to empower students to think critically, act locally, and engage globally in making positive change.