By Mrs. Taylor’s and Mrs. McMichael’s Life Skills and School to Work classes
On Friday April 26 the Serteen Club, Autistic Support Class, Life Skills and School to Work classes joined together for a day of spring cleaning at Lancaster’s Long’s Park. The Serteen Club organizes a park clean up every year to beautify the park in preparation for the Sertoma Chicken BBQ on May 18.
The Serteen Club advisor, Mrs. Rathbone-Frank explained, “Most of the students really just want to help other people.”
Serteen is a teenage branch of the Sertoma Club. The Serteens do service projects that they plan and help other organizations such as the Millersville Parade Committee.
The Autistic Support, Life Skills and School to Work classes help at Long’s Park side by side with the Serteen students weeding, planting, mulching, and picking up trash. It’s a day of hard dirty work, but the chance to socialize and make new friends is priceless.
The day is a very productive one with old beds being cleaned out, new annuals planted in the various beds throughout the park, and finally fresh mulch being spread on the flower beds and the playgrounds to keep the little ones safe. The Long’s Park staff supplies everything needed in the way of gloves, garden tools, digging shovels, and wheelbarrows, just to name a few.
This year was especially nice because the weather cooperated and no one had to deal with the cold, rain or mud. At lunch the students break for a pizza party, and appetites are satisfied with the pizza, snacks and drinks that are supplied by the Serteen Club and Life Skills class. During the day while the students are working hard, fresh drinks are delivered periodically to those who needed them.
“It was fun, and I would definitely come back next year,” Destiny Osborne, a first year student.
“I find the day interesting, and I learn something new each time I go,” said Cristian Phibbs.