Junior Class Service Project: Beach Clean-up Day

Article by Juliette Chait ’20

On Thursday, November 15, the junior class was invited to eat at first lunch and then was excused from classes for the remainder of the afternoon. We all bundled up and took the vans to Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester for our team-building class service project. When we arrived at our destination at noon, we received rubber gloves, empty trash bags, a data collection sheet, and a pencil. Our mission was to collect all the trash we could find on the beach and keep track of everything on the paper for an organization called COASTSWEEP. COASTSWEEP collects the compiled trash from the beach and analyzes the data to identify sources of debris and prevent beach littering to keep our oceans clean. Thousands of volunteers initiate beach clean-ups each year in Massachusetts from September to November.

We were thrilled when we heard we were going to be a part of this wonderful project. We walked along the beach and climbed the Wingaersheek rocks. We ventured into the woods behind the rocks to sadly find piles and piles of garbage. Amongst the many cans, bottles, and food wrappers lying around in the woods, our girls found some pretty stunning objects: a pool ladder, a few shoes, a Littlest Pet Shop toy, and even a Ken doll. This was an eye-opening experience and we’re so glad to have made a difference in our community.