BERLIN – Dozens of local students celebrated Earth Day last week through cleanup efforts organized by student chapters of the Surfrider Club.
Chapters of the Surfrider Club at both Stephen Decatur High School and Pocomoke Middle School participated in cleanups at their schools and in their communities in honor of Earth Day.
“Students in our Surfrider Clubs get a hands-on, up-close look at ways to protect our planet,” said Karen McCabe, Surfrider Club advisor at Pocomoke Middle. “Protecting the planet is crucial for preserving biodiversity, mitigating the effects of climate change, supporting human health and ensuring economic sustainability.”
In honor of Earth Day, McCabe’s students did a rural road cleanup on Byrd Road in Pocomoke in conjunction with the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and Restore the Shore. They also picked up more than 100 pounds of trash on the beach between the Ocean City Inlet and 10th Street.
At Decatur, club advisor Mandi Wells said her students cleaned up school grounds, removing about 150 pounds of trash from the campus. They also painted signs encouraging motorists not to litter that have been placed along area roadways. Decatur’s Surfrider Club members also tried to get the whole school involved with activities during the week such as a plastic-free lunch day and by showing environmental documentaries.
McCabe said the student Surfrider chapters give students a way to learn more about protecting the environment and shows them ways they can get involved.
“They also learn collaborative skills that will stay with them for the rest of their lives,” she said.
And while they spent the days before Earth Day getting their fellow students thinking about the environment, students in the Surfrider chapters spend the whole school year working on projects to help protect the ocean and beach.
At Pocomoke Middle, McCabe said there were nearly 50 students in the Surfrider Club. They handle the school’s recycling and do weekly litter patrols. They’ve also helped with a dune restoration project, gone whale watching and will soon be visiting the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays.
At Decatur, the high school students also handle their school’s recycling, have a composting program and even met with state delegates in Washington D.C. during the Surfrider Foundation Coastal Recreational Hill Day.
