Dalton students make a clean sweep of neighborhood yards

Dalton Elementary students took to the streets Thursday afternoon, wielding rakes and leaf blowers.

They spent the last hour of the school day helping neighbors on Mount Carroll Street by raking leaves in their front yards.

“Being a neighbor to a school can have its challenges,” said Dalton Elementary Principal Jody Hiltenbrand. “It's a way to show our neighbors that we appreciate them.”

The community cleanup event was arranged in advance with six households next to the school. Hiltenbrand said some of the homeowners' children attend the school, and some have volunteered there before. According to Hiltenbrand, the cleanup event was a way to thank neighbors for supporting the school.

“It’s doing something kind just to be kind,” Hiltenbrand said, “working as a team to help a neighbor.”

The six participating fourth- and fifth-grade classes were supervised by their teachers and parent volunteers, who took the bags of leaves to the dump after students finished raking.

Hiltenbrand said students were surprisingly excited to spend an hour raking leaves.

“One of the teachers even told me that the kids were practicing raking leaves at recess,” she said.

Student Willow Pierson said she enjoys raking leaves in her yard with her father and sister because she finds it “satisfying.” Pierson said she thinks raking leaves is an important skill to practice.

“When you get older, you won’t really have anyone to help you with it,” she said.

The community cleanup also allowed students to spend time outdoors and be active.

“Kids don’t get outside enough,” Hiltenbrand said. “Devices can be so powerful in the lives of kids now.”

Student Kelly McDeid agreed. She was happy to stuff leaves into plastic bags after classmates Pierson and Riley Ramsey raked them into piles. She said she would much rather do yard work than sit in a classroom.

“I don’t like sitting down because I cannot sit still and I get too distracted. With my ADHD, this is more relaxing,” McDeid said. “I love being outside.”

    Dalton Elementary students Bradley Gustin and Weston Whitelaw clean up leaves.
  

    Dalton Elementary students Willow Pierson, Kelly McDeid, and Riley Ramsey help clean up leaves at a house on Mount Carroll Street.
  

    Dalton Elementary School students head out with rakes to clean up leaves on Mount Carroll Street.