Students in Year 7, the Student Representative Committee (SRC) and Year 11 Peer Support along with eight teachers were involved. They collected rubbish along the path between the school and Glasshouse Rocks Road, along the foreshore by the skateboard park, Bar Beach, Kianga beaches and Dalmeny beach.

The volume and type of rubbish varied at each location but the exercise in picking it up helped the students to gain an insight into the aggregated effect of individual thoughtless actions. As a means to make young people aware of the impacts of people’s actions on the environment it was extremely effective.

Chairman and Founder, Ian Kiernan, said that participating will impress upon children the importance of the environment.

“Children who take part in Schools Clean Up Day will understand that the environment needs our care and this will ensure that environmental issues remain a focal point for future generations,” he said.

It was also a good way for students, who would not normally have much to do with each other to get to know each other in a relaxed setting. Groups were mixed so that students were with people from different year groups and different classes.

The culmination of the day was a celebration at Bar Net beach where most students had a swim in the enclosed part of the inlet. The water was warm and pristine. As a special treats students were rewarded for their diligence with ice creams. Thanks to Craig Scott of Woolworths and Ian Stevens of IGA Dalmeny for the donations which was literally the icing on the cake of a great day.