Hundreds of students 
make first Community 
Service Day a success

With more than 950 pairs of hands at work, something is bound to get done. Virtually all the students from Newton Senior High School, along with volunteers from Red Pride-Clean Sweep and others, workers fanned out across Newton Thursday afternoon to celebrate Earth Day and Newton’s Community Service Day.

“Everybody I talked to was glad to be out and getting a lot done in a short period of time,” said Bruce Showalter, Red Pride-Clean Sweep organizer.

Most of the students were glad to get out of the classroom as well, and the importance of the day was not lost on them.

“It’s a good way to give back to the businesses who sponsor our sporting events,” said Emily Hoebelheinrich, a junior who was cleaning brush and leaves out of the rain garden at the Centre for Art and Artists.

Chris Tomlin, who was planting flowers on the courthouse square, agreed.

“It shows that you’re loyal to your hometown,” Tomlin said.

Students and faculty members, as well as other local volunteers, painted over the graffiti on the First Street railroad overpass, cleaned up brush at Bungalow Court, picked up trash and sticks at all the city parks, cleaned and spruced up the flower beds along Highway 14 near Okoboji Grill and Country Kitchen, and cleaned up the park and cemetery in Kellogg, among several other projects. Alison Provin, faculty coordinator for Community Service Day, said she was very happy with the day’s events.

“It came off without a hitch,” Provin said. “For the first year, it couldn’t have gone better.”

Provin said the students were very enthusiastic for the project, and she said she received many positive comments from residents. She said she felt confident that the project could be accomplished again next year.

“If we get support from the school, we’ll continue, because we certainly got support from the community,” she added.





John Jennings can be contacted at 792-3121 ext. 425 or via e-mail at jjennings@newtondailynews.com.