On San Benito High School’s three campus areas, seeing garbage is nothing out the ordinary for the student body. But for the Outdoor Club, one of the main goals is improving the environment throughout the community; and one of their ways of helping is cleaning up the high school, and areas surrounding it.
Advisors Chip Gauvreau and Dr. Jessica Gautney hosted the first clean-up of the 2014-2015 school year on Saturday, Sept. 27. Beginning at 9 a.m, members started cleaning areas of main campus while walking to the football parking lot.
Senior Maria Rios, Outdoor Club’s co-president, explained that being in the club is one of the most important things she does because not only is she helping her community but she feels like she is making a difference. Another Outdoor Club member, senior Savannah Santos, is not only an active member of the Outdoor Club, but is also a varsity cheerleader. While cleaning, Santos said she felt strongly that there is a huge garbage problem at SBHS and that it’s “a bit excessive.”
Gauvreau, also a biology teacher, stated that he wants to make Outdoor Club a more environmentally action oriented club, to not only clean up the Hollister community, but beaches, national parks, and other surrounding areas.
The members and advisors finished the clean-up around 11 a.m., and regrouped in Gauvreau’s classroom to weigh the garbage and to talk about what they collected and to see who found the “weirdest” item while cleaning. The 19 members collected a total of 20 pounds of garbage in two hours. For the “weirdest” item, one member found a metal ninja star, while another found a pocket knife with a blade length around three inches, in the bushes by the football parking lot.
“See guys, garbage is dangerous,” Gauvreau told the club.
Gauvreau encourages more membership for the Outdoor Club.
“I would like to invite people to come and try it out, to come out and have some fun and make a difference locally,” he said.