During the last week of school, Burrell honor students squeeze in Lower Burrell cleanup

A bevy of Burrell High School honor students devoted some serious public service time during their last week of school sprucing up Veterans Park next to City Hall.

Almost 60 students from Burrell’s National Honor Society cleaned litter and debris in the park, swept the tennis courts, the pavilion and the walkway from the park to nearby Stewart Elementary School.

“It was great to see so many turn out to help,” said Lower Burrell Councilman Chris Fabry. “Countless seniors came out to help and support our community even though they are now graduates and certainly didn’t need to. They all have great hearts.”

The cleanup was well-timed for the public to enjoy the park and discover the new playground equipment, he added.

The honor society students, sophomores through seniors, are involved in many projects throughout the year helping students and the community, said Anna Novak, 17, of Lower Burrell who is president of Burrell’s National Honor Society.

“The cleanup was our last event of the year that served as our senior goodbye,” she said.

Since the covid-19 pandemic prevented in-person group efforts, the cleanup was the student group’s first big outing for the year. “It was good to be outside and we had a lot planned,” Novak said.

During the school year, the honor students worked on a variety of projects including sending elementary students inspirational messages. During the winter, they held a drive to father masks, coats and gloves for low-income families in the area, Novak said.

“We do a mix of everything,” she said. “We try to get involved wherever we can.”

The cleanup was especially gratifying, Novak said when she saw some students from Stewart Elementary walking along the path cleaned earlier in the day by the honor society.

Burrell students have donated time in the park as well as other city sites before. The city is grateful, Fabry said.

“What they were able to accomplish during this cleanup was overwhelming,” he said. “Veterans Park needed a lot of TLC and these students delivered.”