(Washington, DC) The Office of the Clean City collaborated with the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and their communities for the Second Annual DCPS Beautification Day, Saturday, August 26, 2006. This community event is an annual citywide cleanup and ‘spruce-up’ at all DCPS schools. Volunteer support from across the city helps make this event a continual success.

Volunteers did everything from sweeping, mulching, painting, and planting flowers to picking up trash, weeding, and performing many other duties designed to improve the appearance of school facilities. All of these efforts helped to prepare school grounds for students upon their return. In addition to parents, teachers, principals, and members of the school community, organizations and businesses pitched in at schools all across the city. Shovels, rakes, gloves, mulch, flowers, water, and painting supplies were provided along with donations of materials and other items.

“This year’s event was a huge success,” said Clean City’s Coordinator Merrit Drucker, who was key in the coordination between DCPS, the DC Department of Public Works (DPW), and the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT). “This year we saw more volunteer participation and collaboration with District government agencies which increased the number of schools serviced.” Numerous DC agencies supported this project including the DC Metropolitan Police Department and the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services.

Although the beautification project is a one-day event, Clean City will continue to ensure that cleaning efforts on the public space surrounding the schools are addressed. This includes graffiti removal, illegal dumping, overgrowth issues, education and outreach about “cleaning and greening”, environmental education, as well as encouraging residents and schools to adopt and regularly clean up their neighborhood.

View photos* of some of the beautification efforts.