June 13, 2006 > Digging their school

by Gary Leatherman

More than 200 Irvington High School students wielded shovels, hoes, wheelbarrows and buckets for more than six hours on May 26 to clean up debris, pull weeds, plant flowers and do whatever else they could to improve the appearance of the school campus landscaping. They planted about 50 plants, including seven trees, cleaned debris and weeds from fences, flower beds and fields all around the school, and aerated the soil for existing plants.

The project was the first for the IHS Environmental Club, a new campus organization dedicated to improving awareness of environmental issues and supporting campus beautification efforts. Club president Shuchita Vandra said the Environmental Club has been meeting for about six months and started planning their beautification day in mid-April.

"We had tremendous support from the school district, the city, PTSA and booster clubs," Vandra said. "They donated plants and money and lunches. The city provided tools. The district gave us some trees and crews to help plant them."

Club advisor Fabienne Vardhan said the school PTSA donated $100 to buy plants, students brought in plants and even trees, and the Environmental Club raised about $100 from the student body to buy more plants next year. Juniors Naveen Khan and Sara Iqbal helped coordinate the planting efforts. Kahn said one of the goals of the day was to make the campus look more like a college than a high school.