Twenty-six 10th, 11th and 12th grade students from Ivanna Eudora Kean High School decided they wanted to do something that would make a difference, so they spent Friday picking up litter and leaves and pulling weeds at Magens Bay.
"We were talking about environmental health," said Carolyn Davis, the health teacher at IEKHS, "and before I knew it they had a plan."
The students put the whole project together, according to Davis. They even arranged to have food served at lunchtime, and healthy food at that – veggie burgers and barbecued tofu.
Shanelle Magras, 16, coordinated the food, Davis said. Magras' grandmother, Beatrice Selkridge, made a lot of it.
Sinclair Wilkinson, Eudora Kean's principal, arranged for payment of the safari bus that brought the students to Magens, Davis said. But the kids were ready to do that themselves, too.
They finished way ahead of schedule. They were done with the land cleanup by noon. After a break for lunch, they planned to start cleaning up on the water side.
Linelle Andrews, an 11th grader, said, "It was fun – doing it with your friends."
"It actually looks better when it's clean. Maybe if the tourists see us cleaning up they'll keep it clean, too," said 17-year-old Inez Hunt.
Marcus George, 19, said, "I never knew how beautiful this beach is. When I was young I used to litter. Now, I can see how beautiful it looks when it's clean.
"We need to tell Virgin Islanders not to litter," George added.
"I feel better seeing the beach clean," said 12th-grader Kayshun Brown.
"As a teacher, it's wonderful to see the light go on," said Davis. "It's a pleasure to be with a class that is ready to do."
