Giving up a chance to sleep in, more than 40 Gabilan Hills
students canvassed Meridian Street picking up trash Monday.
The route covered both sides of the street between Albertson’s
and Marguerite Maze Middle School, with kids collecting more than
20 bags of garbage in two hours.
Fourth-grader Chelsea Barnes turned down a trip to Disneyland
during the four-day weekend to attend the clean-up.
Giving up a chance to sleep in, more than 40 Gabilan Hills students canvassed Meridian Street picking up trash Monday.
The route covered both sides of the street between Albertson’s and Marguerite Maze Middle School, with kids collecting more than 20 bags of garbage in two hours.
Fourth-grader Chelsea Barnes turned down a trip to Disneyland during the four-day weekend to attend the clean-up.
“(I came) because I wanted to help because there’s too much garbage,” Barnes said. “We’re going (to Disneyland) this Christmas.”
The students participate in the school’s Turning Point program which serves as an extra-curricular activity for third, fourth and fifth graders that teaches structure and respect. Students meet twice a week for two hours. Only seven members did not show up for the event, said Andrea Munday-Nicolette, a parent and instructor in the program.
Parent Cheri Cosio enjoyed the activity and said her son is always excited about Turning Point events.
“He would (go to Turning Point) everyday if he could,” Cosio said. “I think this is a positive thing for them. It’s a good age for them to get started helping the community. And they’re having fun doing it.”
The exercise can serve as a preventative measure against the students littering, Barnes said.
“People shouldn’t be littering anyway,” she said.
Students, along with 12 parents, scoured landscaping next to sidewalks and two empty fields looking for litter. Fifth-grader Ashley Munday-Nicolette and other students started counting how many cigarette butts they found. The final count was 337.
“It feels good to clean up the city,” Munday-Nicolette said. “You get to work. I came out because I thought it would be nice and fun.”
After the students tossed their bags into the back of a truck, Staff Sgt. Charles Tutop reinforced the reason for the clean-up.
“Make sure that when you make a mess, you clean it up,” he said to the students, standing at attention.
After the exercise, students attended a barbecue and sang karaoke in the gym at Gabilan Hills.
The group will be presented a certificate of appreciation at Monday night’s Hollister City Council meeting for the community service. Next up, the students will participate in the Lights On Celebration’s Decorate a Tree on Nov. 29.
