Students and teachers woke up early to participate in Parkway Central High School’s Beautification Day on Saturday, Sept. 29, a day spent beautifying the outside of school by mulching, picking up trash and gardening various plant beds.
The day began at 8 a.m. with students immediately beginning to clean their assigned locations.
“I’ve been spreading mulch and uprooting old trees and miscellaneous plant life,” junior Ben Levine said.
Others were assigned to more specific places throughout the grounds of Central.
“Well we’ve actually been back down by the art department working on the art and band garden,” said senior Casie French. “We’ve been pulling weeds all day.”
Everyone shared gardening equipment and volunteered in the best way they could, as they acknowledged the value and importance of Beautification Day. “We need to have pride in our school to keep our school clean and nice-looking,” sophomore Matthew Schmittdiel said.
Every day students spend nearly seven hours or more at school, and many believe that the appearance of the building and grounds where they are educated should be in top condition.
“Beautification Day is important so that we keep our school looking good and fresh,” Levine said.
Students could also log the hours spent at Beautification Day as volunteer hours for organizations of their choice. These vary from honor societies to clubs, classes to extra credit.
“I’m here mainly just because I like to help, but I’m also getting A+ Program hours and Senior Women hours,” French said.
Some students are required to have up to 60 hours of volunteer work throughout their high school career. “I’m here for Student Council, but I also could be getting A+ hours and NEHS hours,” Schmittdiel said.
At the end of the day, participants saw that their hard work paid off. “It’s like our school is new again,” French said.
The day ended at noon with a lunch of hot dogs and chips.
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