Parent Teacher Magazine Union County Public Schools Sept/Oct 2016 | Page 21

Marvin Ridge community rallies behind their rakes

we’re out here helping and making the school better,”
said Eric Cameron, father of middle school student,
Annie, and high school student, Jake. “To see parents
out here working shows kids we think it’s important. This
school is an important place for our kids. We want it to
look good.”
Rising seventh grader Madeline Holmes agreed. “The
school needs to look good. It makes students want to go
here.”
Ed Ferko, a Marvin Ridge parent and an officer in the
athletic booster club, coordinated the Saturday effort by
assigning teams and individuals to various areas on the
campus.
“It may have been spreading mulch at the middle
school, cleaning up trash around the baseball fields or
trimming trees at the property adjacent to Crane Road,”
said Marvin Ridge Middle School principal Dr. Jay Jones.
“They all came together and did their particular jobs.”
Because of the number of volunteers who showed up,
the day ended earlier than expected. “We had a turnout
that exceeded expectations,” Jones said. “The work was
finished by about 9:30 a.m.”
MRHS students The benefits of the activity were
obvious, but Jones noted there were a few not-soobvious rewards, as well.
“The obvious benefit is that it makes our campus
really nice. If students are walking into a place that is
well kempt, a place that they can take pride in, they are
going to treat it with more reverence. It’s going to impact
Marvin Ridge parents and children come together to help beautify the middle
them more academically when they come into school,”
and high school grounds for the upcoming school year.
Jones said.
The camaraderie and the sense of community that
Parents, students and educators came in droves to the Marvin
grew
Saturday,
however, was also an important outcome. “It’s not
Ridge campus early on a Saturday morning, armed with rakes,
often
that
we
have
the athletic booster parents, the band booster
shovels and hedge trimmers, to continue a five-year tradition of
parents,
the
Beta
Club
kids and the seventh-grade football team all
giving back to the middle and high schools.
coming
together
at
one
time to do something for the good of all,”
Volunteers came from the schools’ athletic and music booster
Jones
said.
“That,
to
me,
is an even bigger benefit – that’s building a
clubs, Beta Clubs, the fall sports teams, and groups like the Marvin
sense
of
community.”
Ridge High School Student Council and the MRHS International
“There is definitely a community-type feeling here, and you get
Baccalaureate program – all with one goal in mind: spruce up the
to
meet
players
Karate on
ad your
from kids’
Trishteams,” said Annie and Jake’s mom,
campus in preparation for the start of the school year.
Joanie
Cameron.
“I’m
here
to show respect for our schools, schools
“Student Council is here to beautify the campus because we
that
give
our
kids
so
much.
It’s just a way to give a little back.
want to make sure that students who are coming to our school have
Giving
a
couple
of
hours
of
your
time can make such an impact.”
a great inside and outside experience,” said MRHS Student Council
Temperatures
in
the
low
to
mid
90s had a bit of an impact on
adviser and teacher
volunteers,
but
didn’t
seem
to
slow
anyone down.
Matthew Gain.
“I
weeded,
trimmed
hedges
and
spread mulch. It was a little hot,
The cleanup event
but
other
than
that,
it
was
nice.
I
enjoyed
being with my friends and
was scheduled to
helping
out
at
the
school,”
said
Nithin
Ragunathan,
the MRHS junior
begin at 8 a.m. and
class
vice
president.
“I
think
it’s
important
to
have
a
clean campus to
end between noon
have
a
good
learning
environment
for
our
students.”
and 1 p.m. About 200
Marvin Ridge High School principal Donna Cook said she is
students and around
thankful
for the active involvement of students, parents, staff and
75 parents gathered
other
volunteers
who support the school in many ways.
at the schools, some
“The
volunteers
and the work that they did are a great example
coming as much as an
of
our
‘One
Team
on
One Mission’ philosophy in action,” Cook said.
hour early to assist in
The
UCPS
Maintenance
Department also partnered with the
sprucing up the Marvin
cleanup
effort
by
stra