Island Beaches, Streets, Parks Targets for Young 'Spring Cleaners'
All 78 Island Students Help in Effort

Top: Twenty bags were filled with trash. Doing their part are kindergarten and first grade students (from left) Cheyla Shunk, Sadie Johnson, Nicholas Pokora, Christian Styburski, Christopher Riggs, Alexandra Pokora, Talon Greenlee, Grace Roguska, and Emily Modd.

The entire student body of Mackinac Island Public School, all 78 students, scoured the beaches and streets of Mackinac Island for trash during the school's annual spring Clean-up Day Friday, April 28.

While the elementary students stayed close to the school, roaming the nearby beaches and sidewalks on Lakeshore Drive, the high school and junior high students trekked up Cadotte Avenue into the village of Harrisonville and at Great Turtle Park, cleaning up debris.

The students collected 20 garbage bags of trash. Mayor Margaret Doud provided the garbage bags and Mackinac

Island Service Company hauled the loaded bags to the Solid Waste Handling Facility free of charge. The elementary students toured the facility earlier that morning, learning the Island's sorting and composting process.

Clean-up Day was started by the late Stella King years ago, said school secretary Barb Fisher. Ms. King, the Island's lay health nurse, would arrive at the school with plenty of garbage bags eagerly seeking young helpers. She is also credited for starting Mackinac Island's oldest and biggest tradition, the Lilac Festival, held in June.

At left: Third graders Mackenzie Bean (left) and Dana Roguska comb the beaches of Mackinac Island for trash during Mackinac Island Public School's annual spring Clean-up Day Friday, April 28. Sophomore Riley Chaffee and high school teacher Susan Bennett clean up the boardwalk in front of the school.