Hurricane Irma Could Not Deter
Pembroke Pines Charter School Students
From Participating In The
32nd Annual International Coastal CleanupPembroke Pines, FL…October 19, 2017… Delayed but not deterred by Hurricane Irma, students from the Beach Patrol Club at Pembroke Pines Charter East Elementary and the Builders Club at Pembroke Pines Charter Middle School Central Campuses put on sunscreen and gloves and then went to work picking up trash at Hollywood Beach North Park. The students collected 700 pounds of trash, some twenty-one days after the official 32nd Annual International Coastal Cleanup sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy took place.
The delay caused by Hurricane Irma ended up providing the students important first hand lessons about the environment. They witnessed beach erosion resulting from Hurricane Irma and debris in greater variety and amounts, which had washed ashore due to the high winds and ocean waves. The students also collected an estimated 200 pounds more trash than in the 2016 cleanup.
“The devastation wrought by Hurricane Irma provided our Pembroke Pines Charter Beach Patrol students with an additional science lesson about the environment – beach erosion and trash in the ocean,” said East Campus Science Chair Lisa Dizengoff, who has led students on the beach cleanup for the past 12 years. “Each year our students cleanup the same section of beach. Upon arriving at the beach this year our students noticed a considerable difference in the shoreline. Not only had Irma washed away sand, she washed ashore all sorts of debris we had not seen in past cleanups.”
In addition to the usual cigarette butts, plastic beverage bottles and caps, grocery bags, Styrofoam cups, food wrappers plastic lids, straws, and glass bottles littering the shoreline, the Hurricane deposited clothing, tents, chairs, planks of wood and fishing lines, and much more.
“A firsthand experience typically makes a significant impact on people regardless of age,” added Piper Spencer, Central Campus Builders Club Adviser and seven-year veteran of the Beach Cleanup. “Our students were shocked and saddened to see the not only the trash on the shore, but the effects the waves had on this beautiful beach.”
“Our Beach Patrol arrived with high hopes the beach would have less trash because people have become more respectful and mindful of nature. This year they left very concerned for the sea turtles, birds, fish and other creatures who will die because they ingest trash left behind by people,” concluded Dizengoff.
The Charter School students and their families were recognized by organizers as the largest group of volunteers at the Hollywood Beach North Park location. “Experiences like this empower our students to remind people to use garbage cans and not leave trash behind,” added Spencer.
For information about the City of Pembroke Pines Pembroke Pines Charter School System, please visit http://pinescharter.net/.### Media Only:
Valerie L. Moran, Publicist Pembroke Pines Media
C: 954.392.9494 / E: VLMoran@ppines.com |
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 For the twelfth year in a row Pembroke Pines Charter School students, facility, families and alumni participated in the Annual Coastal Cleanup. Photo credit: Mr. Keith Spencer. (jpegs available)
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