Students At Groton's West Side Middle School Learn About Working Together

Students at West Side Middle School picked up their school grounds Friday afternoon, their way of giving back after reading a book about turning a piece of city into a community garden.

At the beginning of the year, the school’s 250 students read the book “Seedfolks” by Paul Fleischman, in which neighbors create a community garden in inner-city Cleveland.

“We’re trying to do the same as they did, by picking up and cleaning up,” said Lyndie Bredy, 12, as she picked up outside the school with her classmates.

Olivia Lyon, 12, said in the story, neighbors worked together.

“They turned it into a really beautiful place,” she said.

Earlier in the day, students took part in an exercise activity called P.A.C.E.S., which stands for Parents And Children Exercising Simultaneously, where parents were invited to stop in and exercise with their children. 

Students gathered again as a school for the cleanup project in the afternoon.