Northcrest Elementary School took part in the Great American Cleanup Wednesday, in a continued effort to teach students about community, acts of service and the environment as part of school pride.
The fourth and fifth grade classes at Northcrest Elementary took to the sidewalks outside of the school today with plastic bags and gloves to help pick up litter in the area.
The effort was part of the Great American Cleanup, the nation’s largest community improvement program, but it was also a continuation of Northcrest’s World Garden, a school-wide project students have been working on all year.
Margaret Belch is one of the fourth grade teachers at Northcrest. She said the idea came from another new teacher who has been involved in the Great American Cleanup, but that it was really the students who helped push it into a reality.
“We come out for recess and they were really bothered by the litter that was on the playground," Belch said. "So, they started doing it just on their own.”
Northcrest is the most diverse elementary school in Indiana, and the 12th in the nation. This year, as part of Northcrest’s World Garden, students have been learning what native foods grow in different countries.
Students are then learning to grow those foods in Northcrest’s planned community garden. Belch said that while this year it was only fourth and fifth graders at Northcrest, she hopes that next year they can expand to include other schools and students.
