Classes clean up
DUNKIRK SENIOR CLASS SWEEPS CITYBy JOAN JOSEPHSON
Article Photos
As part of Dunkirk High School's Senior Class Sweep Thursday, Lindsay Kowal hauled a discarded car tire, still on its rim, from the Dunkirk beach where she found it to the collection point at Dunkirk City Hall.
She wasn't even breathing hard.
Class adviser Stacey Jordan said 76 seniors showed up for the 9 a.m. to noon event with teams assigned to different areas of the city.
They picked up trash, placed it in orange plastic bags, and hauled it back to City Hall.
"The students did this as part of a volunteer community service event; they wanted to show their appreciation for the support they've received for their scholastic achievements," Jordan said.
The students said Dunkirk Mayor Richard Frey personally thanked them Thursday for helping to clean up the city and congratulated them for achieving success in their high school careers.
Senior Class President Taylor Bankowski said she was part of a team assigned to the Washington Avenue area.
"We found a lot of cigarette butts and we picked them all up; it made me feel good about what we were doing," Taylor said, adding, "It's worthwhile to give back to the community."
Other students wondered how long their clean-up efforts would remain evident.
"I hope it lasts longer than a day," one said.
"We picked up stuff that was thrown right beside a trash barrel,"another student said.
Hannah Wentz said that made her sad. "People should care about how their community looks," she said.
The Dunkirk High School seniors obviously do. This is the eighth year they have turned out right before graduation to conduct their "Senior Sweep" of the city.
Their efforts were rewarded.
In addition to the thanks they received, P&G Food cooked them hot dogs, there were bowls full of chips and cheese curls, soda and water on the tables placed under a tent on the front lawn of City Hall.
They also received a T-shirt in the Dunkirk High School colors which carried the school's logo and indicated they had participated in this year's Senior Sweep.
The city bought the shirts while contributions from the Dunkirk Teachers' Federation, the Dunkirk Police Benevolent Association, the Dunkirk Firemen and city workers Local 912 helped defray the event's cost.
