A Hollister grade school teacher led more than a dozen students and parents in collecting an estimated 500 pounds of plastic wrappers, cigarette butts and trash at Veterans Memorial Park last month.
Hollister School District’s Accelerated Achievement Academy teacher, Susan Bessette, arranged the cleanup as a way to celebrate Earth Day. Since the holiday fell in the middle of spring vacation this year, Bessette asked students to join her for a cleanup the following Saturday, April 26.
“Even though it was kind of a cold and cloudy day, I was really proud of my guys that came out there and wanted to do great things for the environment,” Bessette said.
For Bessette, getting out of the classroom and into the field is a way to make the curriculum come alive. In her classes, she teaches about nonrenewable and renewable resources, wind and solar energy, and the importance of reusing water.
Last month’s cleanup was not the first time Bessette has led students in cleaning up the environment. Bessette guided students, teachers and parents to two other cleanups this school year, including a California Coastal Commission Cleanup Day in September and a cleanup of the area behind Walgreens and Ace Hardware in February. The California Coastal Commission Cleanup Day attracted more than 90 student, teacher and parent volunteers.
Students participating in the cleanup behind Ace Hardware were surprised to find 23 bags of brand new topsoil – about $300 of store merchandise – which had been hoisted over Ace’s wall and hidden under weeds so that the stolen goods could be picked up at a later time, explained Bessette.
While no stolen bags of top soil were found at the most recent cleanup, students did pick up fast food containers, beer bottle caps and a shopping cart that “still rolled but it was in bad shape,” Bessette said.
“I was really proud of their dedication to their community. They are very focused on the environment, renewable resources and keeping the area clean,” Bessette said.
