Last act as sixth-graders includes cleaning up school

Ridgefield — Before moving up to View Ridge Middle School in the fall, South Ridge Elementary School sixth-graders tried to leave their soon-to-be former school a bit nicer than when the year started. The sixth-graders came up with the idea for South Ridge Cleanup Day after studying Earth Day, and nearly 80 student volunteers all over the campus, including the landscaped areas around the main and new buildings, the parking areas, the west-end raised garden beds, the upper meadow and the South Ridge Nature Trail. Students weeded, cleaned up trash, cleared fallen branches and helped improve the school’s appearance. Afterwards, the students enjoyed a picnic and checked out each other’s hard work. “It’s really fun to see what the campus looked like before and after it was all cleaned up,” said Kaitlyn St. John in a release from the school. “I like being able to see the difference I make when I do community service.”