Students at Balnarring Primary School are rolling up their sleeves as they prepare for Schools Clean Up Day early next year. With tongs, buckets and gloves in hand, students are excited for the environmental event to be held on February 28 – with registrations having opened on 4 November. The event, which celebrates its 35th anniversary next year, is one of the most practical ways to engage kids in litter prevention, sustainability, community, and teamwork.
Balnarring Primary School has a Balnarring Way program to care for the environment. They are a litter free school who run whole school working bees at least once a term to care for the school grounds. “Students will often just come and collect the buckets, tongs and gloves and spend some time at recess and lunch collecting rubbish,” Balnarring Primary School teacher Melanie Brooks said. Every Friday the school’s Balnarring Blitz crew also “look at what needs to be done around the school; we’ve put in our own drainage, we’ve ordered soil, and we created garden beds,” she said. “They take huge pride in it.”
First published in the Western Port News – 13 November 2024
