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Roosevelt students tackled dirt problems at their school this morning, digging holes, moving it around and clearing some of it entirely. Community helps
Roosevelt begin
maintenance programRepair and cleanup work
is aided by America's PromiseBy Treena Shapiro
Star-Bulletin"Our school's all dirty and stuff," said junior Brittany Scott, working with hoe and pick to remove leaves and weeds along the border of the courtyard.
Scott, a member of Roosevelt's Key Club, came out this morning to support a community effort to clean up the school. It's hard work, she said, "but as long as you have someone to talk to, it's fine."
She was among more than 200 students and community members who helped kick off a new public/private partnership to repair and maintain Hawaii's public schools. The America's Promise Hawaii School Repair and Maintenance program is designed to encourage community volunteer work and donations to boost repair and maintenance efforts.
Roosevelt attracted the attention of America's Promise by developing a long-term campus beautification effort, according to principal Dennis Hokama.
"It's a sustaining effort where we have various groups taking ownership of various areas on campus," he said. The groups will be responsible for maintaining their area throughout the year.
The goal is to get "more organized, more systematic," he said. "Let's get the entire community involved so they can really see the needs of the public schools."
America's Promise may use Roosevelt as a demonstration project to encourage other schools to follow suit, he added.
Professional carpenters and painters pitched in early this morning to help brighten the campus, but the first present were primarily faculty and students.
Freshman Jeramy Villanueva showed up to get credit for his guidance class, but he thought beautifying the campus is a worthwhile effort. "The light grass areas need more plants," he said.