Students gather together on a hot early afternoon in G-6. They don thick fabric gloves and as the sun beats down on the backs of their necks they set out together on a mission. That mission is to clean the school.

    In celebration of Earth Day, Stagg had its own “Earth Week” during which there were organized spirit days. At the end of the week, on April 27, students gathered together in G-6 to partake in the campus cleanup, organized by Debbie Lebanik. All of the participants have different reasons for being there on that hot Friday afternoon. Some volunteer for the extra credit, some to fulfill their community service requirements, and some just to make a difference.
    Among those who want to make a difference is junior Jessica Rhoten.
    “Cleaning up the school’s campus makes it look better for students, teachers, and parents,” Rhoten said. “I want to be able to be proud of my school.”
    As she and many other volunteering students march off across the campus, they realize just how much there is to clean. They pick up anything from plastic sporks, to entire lunches abandoned by students.
    Each team of two fills their bag and returns to the classroom. In the end, 10-15 bags were filled with trash and recyclables. They sorted through the trash they collected, separating recyclables, and once all of the participants were back in G-6 they brought out pizza and let all who helped out that day eat and take part in activities. This included tie-dying and planting flowers to take home. It was a small reward from Lebanik to all of the students who helped to clean up this school. The students laughed as they sprayed each other with dye of all colors.
    Lebanik, like many others, wants to take time to do her part and believes others should too. “My purpose for doing this was to bring awareness of our environment to students and to empower teenagers to make a difference in the world.” Perhaps this will inspire students to do their part in keeping the school clean as well as the environment.