Berkeley 6th Grade Students Recognized for Treasure of Tampa Bay Award
The 6th grade consists of 96 students and 12 teachers. This group performs community service at six different venues on six dates during each school year. Their provided service includes all Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful focus areas: litter prevention/removal, community improvement, park restoration, recycling waste reduction, people’s gardens, and innovative green initiatives.
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Since 1989, the non-profit Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful has provided residents of all ages with opportunities for meaningful service, environmental education and volunteer opportunities that develop individual responsibility and environmental stewardship. Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful is the local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s largest volunteer-based community.
We are extremely proud of how the how our 6th graders represented our school. Their well-earned recognition is a great example of how all Berkeley students are guided by the school’s service-driven mission to make a positive difference in the world.
To earn this award, the 6th grade served the following six venues:
- Sweetwater Park – The group has adopted this 20 acre park through the Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful “Adopt-A-Spot” program. The students collect litter throughout park (focusing on the little items that often get missed such as gum/candy wrappers, bottle caps, and cigarette filters), recycle aluminum cans and plastic bottles, sweep basketball courts, sidewalks and covered picnic areas, clean playground areas (including pulling weeds), collect palm fronds and natural debris, clean water fountains and maintain the entrance to the garden.
- Sandra Perrone Park – The group has adopted this 9 acre park through the Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful “Adopt-A-Spot” program and maintains all areas of the park.
- Sweetwater Organic Community Farm – The group provides service at this 6 acre nonprofit community garden. The students learn to grow and enjoy fresh organic food, acquire sustainable living skills, support local agriculture, enjoy nature, make new friends and be a part of the community.
- Florida Learning Garden – The group provides service at this Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful project. Students assist with tasks at the traditional garden beds, raised beds, aquaponics, hydroponics, a Florida-Friendly Walking Trail, rain gardens, and an interactive greenhouse. The students learn about ‘right-plant-right-place,’ best practices for water conservation, multiple growing techniques and sustainable practices to utilize in their own homes and gardens.
- Change Makers - In this video production workshop on Berkeley’s campus, students investigate an environmental issue and create compelling public service announcements to promote action within and beyond the Berkeley community. Students share their video productions in school convocations and with outside venues as appropriate. The focus of the videos is environmental awareness and behavioral impact.
- Center for Environmental Research and Exploratory Science at Berkeley Preparatory School – The group provides service by working on the construction of a “Scratch and Sniff” sensory garden experience for our community partners and lower division students. Students design the garden, lay ground cover, remove existing plants, sow new plants and assemble benches.
Berkeley Preparatory School
Founded in 1960, Berkeley is an independent, Episcopal, college-preparatory day school located in Tampa, FL, for boys and girls in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12. Approximately 1,400 students gather here from the greater Tampa Bay area to form ONE Berkeley.