May 5, 2006

Montgomery School Sixth Graders Volunteer at Guadalupe River and Park Gardens

With the record rain in March and April, Guadalupe River and Park Gardens (GRPG) has been overwhelmed with weeds, excess dirt, and unwanted garbage.

Students from room 28 at Montgomery School spent April 27 lending a hand in cleaning up Guadalupe River and Park Gardens. The volunteer effort was coordinated by their teacher, Howard Chan.

In the past few weeks, the staff at GRPG has worked countless hours cleaning up and controlling the damage. Fortunately, the rain has subsided, allowing volunteers and clean-up crews time to start cleaning the mess.

When students from Room 28 at Montgomery School heard about the opportunity at GRPG, all hands immediately went up to volunteer their time. Throughout the year, their teacher, Howard Chan taught about the importance of volunteering in the community. Chan describes volunteering as a “significant component in the functioning of our society.” Now it was Room 28’s time to contribute.

The sixth graders were especially excited because this field trip was going to be a different experience for them. No longer were they audience members watching a play, but rather active participants engaged in relevant community work.

The students put away their pencils for one day, and picked up shovels and garden gloves instead. Along with the GRPG staff, the Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley helped coordinate a massive cleanup on Thursday, April 27.

Prior to the work, VCSV director Rich Vega spoke to the students about the importance of community service. From there, GRPG staff member Lucy Perez assigned the 30 students their duties for the day. The children broke up into several groups. A few were assigned to shovel the weeds, while others were responsible for the trash and raking the leaves. Even Montgomery School principal Kelly Johnson partook in the event and worked side-by-side with the students. The work taught important life-skill sets, such as cooperation, patience, and responsibility.

The enthusiasm continued throughout the day despite the sunny conditions that wore on the students. According to student Ruth, “it was hot, but the work was more important.”

By the end of the day, the students were able to clear up many of the weeds and garbage in the park. After the long day of labor, the students were treated to snacks and enjoyed relay races in the beautiful Heritage Rose Gardens.

According to Chan, “It was an enriching experience for our students, as they learned the social responsibility of community service, the value of manual labor, and learned about the maintenance of parks and gardens.”

For more information, please visit The Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley at http://volunteercentersca.org/vc_sanjose.htm.