Grade 3 students at Crescentview School in Portage la Prairie recently participated in a community cleanup. Under the guidance of teacher Allana Boschman, the students took to Henderson Drive to collect litter and learn about environmental responsibility.
For several years, the school has organized the annual cleanup event, which coincides with Earth Day and teaches students the value of environmental responsibility.
"We always talk about building good community members and being good citizens," she notes. "So this is one of the things we tell the kids: to get out there, help, and if you see garbage, pick it up."
Boschman adds that the amount of garbage found surprised the students, who filled a truckload with trash bags.
"It's always amazing to the kids when they see how much garbage surfaces after the snow melts," she continues. "They don't realize how much they will see."
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The student-led cleanup helped beautify the neighbourhood and sparked meaningful conversations among students about why people litter. According to Boschman, these discussions encouraged students to reflect on their role in caring for the environment and their community.
"It sparked some good conversation about how they could be better," she says. "I know it's something that the kids went home and talked to their parents about."
Grade 3 student Heath Duffy participated in the cleanup and shared his thoughts on why people might litter.
"A lot of people don't know what to do, and they probably don't have a garbage can close to them," he says. "They probably just throw it on the ground, but I think they should keep it in their truck or vehicle and put it in the garbage when they're home."
Duffy adds that cleaning up the garbage was a lot of fun.
"We should clean up our neighbourhood because it can save the environment and keep it safe," Duffy says.
They might be small, but these students made a big impact, proving that even something as simple as picking up litter can lead to powerful lessons about citizenship, responsibility, and caring for the planet.
~With files from Brittany Boschman