Alberton celebrates Earth Day with community clean-up

Last Thursday, Earth Day, was a bit more cold and breezy than the days leading up to it had been, but that didn't stop Alberton students from leaving the classrooms to pursue the day's clean-up project. Dawning warm sweaters and jackets, they slipped on gloves and toted trash bags as they went around the community picking up trash.

Breaking into groups, the younger students were paired with the older students with a set of supervising teachers also going along. The kindergarteners went with the seniors, while first graders joined the juniors, sophomores headed up the second and third graders and so on. Buses dropped students off at the Natural Pier Bridge, North Frontage Road and other destinations to work their way back to the school. The goal was to pick up as much garbage as possible.

"It's just nice to get out and help the community," senior Sarah Brovold said.

"And it helps our environment and makes our area look nicer," senior Chloe Lehl added.

Chris Clevenger, who serves as the student council's advisor, said that it had been about four years since the school had done a clean-up project. He said that usually they try to do a community service project and he knew that it had been awhile since they'd done this particular one.

"I knew that when they had done it in the past it made them feel good," Clevenger said. "It gets them involved and out volunteering in the community. It seemed appropriate to hold the event on Earth Day."

Lehl said that pairing off with the younger kids made the project more fun and she also recognized that they were setting an example for them.

"They get to come and hang out with us, which they think is cool so and we're setting an example for them," Lehl said.

Kate Roat agreed.

"I definitely feel like I'm a role model in this," Roat said. "By helping them out and participating, I'm showing them this is a good thing to do."

Of course, for many it was a race. A kindergartner commented in passing that, "they sure seem to be finding a lot of garbage down there."

Morgan Taapkeen admitted that the younger students were having a lot of fun with it. She said that she felt that what they were doing was important to help keep the environment clean for everyone.

Over by the Natural Pier Bridge, students were asking for more trash bags. Matt Foley and his partners seemed to have the most garbage out of everyone, but then again they were heading up the front of line. Foley said that if anything he was enjoying the day out of class. Tricia Prison also noted that it was better than being in class. She said that she was having a pretty good time as she struggled to pull a piece of tangled cardboard out of the woven wire fence.

The clean-up event ran from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. With the day's activities fulfilled, the students returned to the lunchroom at 3:30 p.m. for a well deserved treat, ice cream. Clevenger said that Kevin Brown, from the state road department, donated all the bags and was going to take the garbage away at the day's end.