The 4th grade classes at Fairfax Elementary recently participated in a Literati event, which sounds slightly more glamorous than it actually was. Sponsored by the Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District, the students completed a neighborhood clean-up that consisted of photographing and documenting every piece of trash they collected.

Each class was split into five smaller groups, accompanied by a teacher or parent volunteer who had the Literati app downloaded on their phones. The groups were then given maps detailing the section of the school or surrounding streets they were to clean up. The Literati app uses a phone’s camera to record every piece of trash collected, counting and sorting the data.

Before the students headed out to complete their challenge, each class met with a representative of the Soil & Water Conservation District, learning about the danger that litter poses to birds, animals and the water system. When asked to define “conservation,” one child said, “It means, like, to keep something,” to which Educational Program Specialist Tim Becker replied, “Yes, to keep something safe. Like, today we’re keeping our water and our soil safe for ourselves and for future generations.”

That was something the students could certainly understand. Donning hats that read “Clean spaces, happy faces” and work gloves, student groups headed out to complete their task. In addition to beautifying their neighborhood, they were motivated by competition; the class who collected the most pieces of trash would win a pizza party. That honor went to Sharon Meaders’ students, who collected a whopping 1,025 wrappers, drink bottles, cigarette butts, straws and face masks. 

Students were surprised and a bit dismayed by the amount of garbage they found on the streets surrounding Fairfax School. Lee Road was particularly egregious, with one student saying “Why do so many people litter? Some people are more considerate, but some people just aren’t.” 

The children in Ms. Meaders’ class, along with those of Eric Cohen and Stephanie Petty, were proud of their role in cleaning up. As Noah said, “It’s important because we’re saving the Earth and if we didn’t do this program, there’d be more trash in the world.” Two thousand, three hundred, twenty-three more pieces to be exact.