Leechburg Area Middle School students pitch in as part of Pick Up Pennsylvania initiative

Leechburg Area Middle School students were in a different classroom environment Tuesday afternoon — for a good cause.

Students and staff donned bright Hi-Liter green safety vests and heavy duty gloves, grabbed trash bags and picked up trash around the downtown Leechburg business district and other areas for an hour and a half.

The effort was part of the statewide volunteer Pick Up Pennsylvania initiative this month. PennDOT provides gloves, safety vests and trash bags. This was the school’s first year participating.

Michelle Ferretti, high school teacher and community service coordinator, said 150 students broke into nine groups. Seven students stayed behind to write letters to soldiers serving overseas.

Ferretti wanted initially to hold a community service day for businesses and organizations to request help from students with projects. She thought starting at a smaller scale by having students pick up litter around town would be an easier way to jumpstart the idea.

“I love doing good stuff in the community,” she said. “They (students) are able to take ownership and pride of their town.”

She offered the volunteer opportunity to all students to encourage everyone to do a good thing.

Bethany Jaros, an eighth grade teacher and Recycle Club sponsor, was excited when she heard about the idea of having students clean up the community.

She said students filled an estimated 50 bags of trash.

“It is wonderful for the kids and great for the community,” she said. “It is a nice change of pace to get out in the community.”

Many students saw the opportunity as a way to give back to their town and take care of their environment.

“I feel like we need to keep the Earth safer because people could get sick from all the trash,” said Riley Hoch, a sixth grader.

Kaidance Heatherington, a sixth grader, wanted to help her community.

“It isn’t just helping me. It is helping everyone else in the community because litter causes pollution,” she said.

Emerson Szymanski said she volunteered because she loves animals and hates seeing them eat trash left on the ground. She said cleaning up can be fun.

“Even though some people may think it‘s boring, you’re helping out a lot of people,” she said.

Ferretti hopes to continue this project seasonally to help it grow.

She said another pickup day is scheduled at the end of the month for high school students.