Media Release September 2009

600 Students Spring-Clean Town Centre

Over 600 students from Botany College will descend on Botany Town Centre Gardens and Logan Carr Reserve this Saturday (19 September) to give the public spaces a good old spring-cleaning.

This is the fifth year in a row for the annual clean-up, and this year more students than ever before have signed up to get their hands dirty. The 2009 clean-up was even timed to run after senior school exams, to ensure that year 11, 12 and 13 students could be part of the action (as well as relieving some exam stress!).

Last year students collected literally mountains of rubbish, filling more than 200 rubbish bags to the brim in a mammoth day’s work.

To ensure the workers are well prepared, Botany Town Centre provides them with gloves and rubbish bags, and puts on a sausage sizzle lunch to fuel them up and thank them for their efforts.

“This has become an annual tradition for Botany College and the Town Centre and we truly appreciate the enthusiasm and effort the students express to keep our public spaces beautiful. It’s wonderful to see the students trading in their weekend to help out in the community,” says Botany Town Centre Senior Manager Jennifer Manning.

This is just one of many community initiatives the environmentally-savvy Botany College students undertake at the Logan Carr Reserve, which is adjacent to the school campus, says Head of Visual Arts Jonathan Clark.

“The school has a responsibility to look after the reserve. Being so close to the College, we have a real sense of ownership and pride in the space,” says Jonathan. “We often use it for lessons for a variety of subjects and students have been involved in other initiatives in the reserve, such as tree planting.

“It is great to see our students making a positive impact on the community,” says Jonathan. “They don’t shy away from the dirty jobs – our students have even climbed into a creek to retrieve a stray shopping trolley in the past.”

This year the students aim to recycle as much of the glass and plastic rubbish that they collect as possible.

ends

© Scoop Media