Pupils from St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy took part in a sponsored community litter pick to raise money for charity and promote a cleaner environment.
All Year 8 pupils helped to clean up parts of Buxton on the celebration of the feast of St Francis of Assisi.
Pupils were raising money for the RSPCA, which is Year 8’s chosen charity of the year. So far they have raised over £200 and donations are still coming in.
Other celebrations for the Year 8s included non-uniform, no homework for the day and a special party at the end of the day to recognise their hard work in cleaning up our community.
Pupil Isabella said: “We had an amazing day. I really enjoyed the litter pick because we got to be active outside while also helping the community. My form went to Ashwood Park. You would never think of picking up litter being fun, but it really was. Teachers let us go round in groups with our friends and we had a litter grabber and a bin, provided by the Buxton Town Team. It was very nice how we got to have fun whilst also helping the environment and raising money at the same time. We found a lot of litter such as empty bottles and crisp packets. When we got back to school, we got a nice reward of STM cake!”
Pupil Freddie: “On Friday Year 8 celebrated our St Francis of Assisi’s feast day by cleaning up our community with a litter pick around Buxton. This helped us raise money for the RSPCA. We also celebrated this special day with Mass in church and a tasty cake! We acted out our Catholic values in a fun and worthwhile day.”
Kerry Taylor, Head of Year 8, said: “The sponsored litter pick was a fantastic way for our pupils to raise money for their chosen charity, the RSPCA, whilst simultaneously giving back to our community. It is always a pleasure getting to work with pupils outside the classroom too, especially when working together for the greater good. Together they have raised over £300 with donations still coming in. This is a huge achievement for 90 pupils and they should be really proud.”
Sarah Lancett, Deputy Headteacher, said: “Here at STM we are exceptionally proud of our pupils. I am delighted to see our pupils making an impact in our local area. A key focus of our curriculum and mission is to prepare our young people to be good citizens who have a positive impact on our world.”
