ORWIGSBURG -- Students at Blue Mountain Middle School in Orwigsburg were excited to put down the books and take their science class outside Tuesday. They weren't just learning about the environment, though, they were also giving back to it.
"Weeds that we should pull, things that we should keep, things that are native to the area that help us," said eighth grade science teacher Katie Shaw.
With high energy and smiles on their faces, students spent the morning pulling weeds, mulching around the school's campus, and painting lines in the parking lots that have faded over time.
"It feels nice to represent our school and show what we can do for it," eighth grader Rylee Clifford said.
"It feels like we have a physical connection to the school now since we're helping out and fixing up things," eighth grader Jamie Martin added.
It's all part of a week-long project that Blue Mountain Middle School students do every year to show their appreciation for the community and all of the people who live there.
"This is a skill that we can't really teach them in school. This is something that's a learned trait by getting out there," Shaw said.
The work didn't just stop on the school's campus. Students are also teaming up with the borough to fix up things around the community, like the playground in Albright's Woods.
"Our students sometimes take for granted all of the beauty that our community has to offer," Shaw explained. "I think by getting them out here, it's really showing them that we have to appreciate what we have and we're so blessed here in Orwigsburg and in Schuylkill County," she added.
Students will work on the high school's campus this Friday. They hope the sun is shining on their effort then too.