Students from Oakville School took part in a community cleanup on April 25. Principal Mark Sokolowski says it was held on the nicest day in the forecast near Earth Day.

"Earth Day was on Monday (April 22), so, we looked ahead for some good weather. It was a beautiful afternoon, a little bit windy, but we managed to make it work. This is something we do every spring. Our community is very important, our school is an important part of the community, and we want to make sure we do our part to keep our community clean."

Sokolowski says their efforts were put to good use.

"For about an hour or so, we were out and about in the community, just picking up garbage that has accumulated over the wintertime. All told, we had 25 bags of garbage that we cleaned up from the local community," Sokolowski added. "I was surprised to hear that it was that many. That's a lot of garbage that we picked up, so it's something we're very proud of."

The principal adds he believes it's a good way to teach the students about respect for the environment.

"We all have a responsibility to look after our community and the larger world. What are some of the ways we can do that? Just something as simple as picking up some loose trash, especially if it's not yours and it's safe to pick up. I think it models what we need from everyone in our world these days, is that we need to look at ways to continually look after our communities and our planet."

Sokolowski says he also feels it's important for the students to learn what caring for the community can look like.

"It was a great hands-on learning experience, and we were able to enjoy the last half of the afternoon doing something for other people, and serving our community, which is also an important piece of our world: how can you make your community better? I think it was a great afternoon. As always, our kids were exceptionally well-behaved and very helpful."