Today, our students and staff made a tremendous impact across the Melvern community.
Crews were spread out across the river park, city park, railroad park, and throughout town, taking on a wide range of projects that required hard work, teamwork, and a willingness to serve.
At the Melvern River Park and along the walking trails, students worked to trim back heavy overgrowth that had made areas difficult to access. By the end of the morning, those trails were once again open and usable for the public. After finishing there, the group continued serving by heading downtown and washing windows for local businesses.
In the main city park, another crew trimmed trees, raked more than 38 sixty-gallon bags of leaves from the 4-H buildings and surrounding ditches, and hauled multiple truck and trailer loads of limbs. The amount of work completed in just a few hours made an immediate difference in the appearance of the park.
At Railroad Park, a group of 26 students in grades 6–11 tackled one of the biggest projects of the day. They reclaimed the dog park from tall weeds and heavy overgrowth, trimmed trees throughout the park, cleaned up the skate park, and removed large amounts of debris. Students used weed eaters across the entire area and hauled off multiple truckloads of limbs and brush. What had become overgrown and difficult to use is now once again a space the community can enjoy.
Beyond the parks, students also spread out across town helping residents pick up branches and storm debris from their yards. It was important to our students that they not only take care of public spaces, but also support the people who make up our community.
A huge part of the day’s success came from the behind-the-scenes work as well. Our head of maintenance, Lori Walker, drove the school truck and trailer throughout the day, hauling load after load of limbs, leaves, and debris to the appropriate dump sites. Her work helped keep crews moving and allowed students and staff to stay focused on the cleanup.
After a full morning of hard work, everyone gathered back in the Melvern park for a picnic lunch. That time together was an important part of the day—a chance for students, staff, and community members to sit down, enjoy a meal, and reflect on everything that had been accomplished to that point. A special thank you goes to Melissa Criqui, who did a tremendous amount of work to make the meal happen and cooked for the group. Lisa Reeser and Carrie Lingenfelter also helped serve and made sure our students and guests were taken care of. Their efforts helped turn lunch into another meaningful part of a great day.
Melvern Mayor Eric Vogeler shared his appreciation for the efforts:
“The City of Melvern would like to give special recognition and thanks to the students and faculty of Marais des Cygnes Valley High School and Junior High. Due to their generous donation of time and efforts, they were instrumental in cleaning up the trails, the city park and the railroad park. It is very heartwarming to see the youth of today come together and work hard to make their community look better. The students also went around town and picked up branches in the yards of our community’s residents.”
We are incredibly proud of our students and staff. Today was a reminder that when our kids are given the opportunity, they show up, they work hard, and they take pride in being part of something bigger than themselves.
This is what it means to be MdCV.