Take Action’s newest project, cleaning up the PV campus, started with Tristan Evans, senior and active member of Take Action, who noticed a need in PV.
“I noticed an abundance of garbage which surprised me as I’d always thought our school campus was pretty clean,” Tristan said.
Consequently, Evans literally took action. In January, he initiated a first-ever cleanup event as part of the Take Action club.
Despite minimal promotion for the event, ten people showed up. Considering COVID-19 fears, this was more than the group expected. They maintained social distancing and wore masks for safety. They split into groups and dispersed in different wooded areas of the high school campus. Within one hour, they filled six trash bags filled with empty water bottles, food wrappers and plastic. Tristan even hauled out two tires which were recycled with the help of Creamery Tire– success!
“We’re really ambitious but haven’t had the opportunities to really get our hands dirty yet. However, we have held one cleanup so far with great success,” Tristan said.
Others in the club who attended the clean-up were amazed with the efforts of the group.
“Considering the amount of trash we collected, I would describe the experience as being very eye-opening. I really enjoyed being a part of the cleanup through Take Action and I am certainly looking forward to participating in future cleanup efforts,” Take Action member Kaylee Colombo said.
The club hopes to bring more awareness to events like this one to the school community and to have more participation in the future.
“I knew that taking part in the cleanup would be a perfect opportunity for me to take action and to make a difference in my community,” Colombo said.
Future cleanups are being planned, although it is challenging to do it before the weather improves given the large amounts of snow. Tristan has identified two new opportunities as well, including an ambitious stretch of highway under Take Action’s name. More to come from Tristan Evans and Take Action, which you can join via Zoom or in Mr. Craven’s room (303) every Thursday at 2:30pm.