Businesses who work near and residents who live around West Auburn High School were complaining to the school about all the litter they saw lying about.

Their hot complaints reached the attentive ears of West Auburn’s Leadership Class, galvanizing Karolina Kalabishka, Isabella Marksbury, Athinée Johnson, Carlos Pulido, Edward Arroyo Dominic Bundrige, Michelle Altona, Ivamay Esau, Ashley Brown, Kileaha Anderson-Bailey and others to action.

To spend one day each week, that is, cleaning up the trash.

Working, they realized that some, but by no means all of the trash was of student origin; that this was a community problem.

Also, a few items that would be helpful to their efforts were lacking. It was the absence of those items that brought the class en masse to Auburn City Hall earlier this month, carrying a letter and making an ask of Mayor Nancy Backus.

Their request? A trash can to help prevent future litter build-up near the red benches on the corner of D Street and 2nd.

“We feel it is important to keep our community clean,” they wrote, “and that is why we are making a conscious effort to help out our city weekly, but it is a struggle to do alone. We also have reminders to our students about the importance of having pride within the community.

“We have been in contact with those close to our school, and together we think that the garbage can is the next step to a cleaner area. Please let us know what we need to do to work towards our common goal.”

But they weren’t finished.

Given the used condoms, discarded needles and drug paraphernalia not only grossing and yecching up the area but also endangering anybody or any animal who should come into contact with them, the kids wrote another letter, with other asks – this time for a couple of grabbers and a sharps container into which their teachers could drop the nasty stuff.

“Our teachers – Lauren Crater and Alex Foster – made it very clear that we, as students,” they wrote, “are not allowed to pick up the needles. However, they often do, as they are not comfortable with leaving them out on the streets, even though it isn’t necessarily school property.

“Leadership was wondering if the City would be willing to help us decrease the amount of needles around our school? Although this is a small request, we feel it makes the most sense for the little time and little funding it would take,” they wrote.

“… If you have any other suggestions on how we can make a positive impact on our community, please feel free to contact our leadership class at West Auburn High School. Together, we can make a difference in our community,” they concluded.

Backus, who wasn’t at City Hall on the day they showed up, was impressed. She made an appointment and spoke with the class the next day, then worked with the City’s financial department and with Waste Management to procure the items.

“I am always in awe of the deep commitment Auburn students show for our community. How many of us can say that we use our time to go out in the rain and elements to beautify our neighborhood? Yet these students are doing that each week out of a sense of pride and dedication to making our city the best it can be. I’d say the future of Auburn is in excellent hands,” Backus said.

Mayor Nancy Backus joins students in the West Auburn’s Leadership Class, praising their efforts in working with the City to clean up their neighborhood. COURTESY PHOTO