By Courtney Oldwyn

Journal reporter

Thirty-four elementary and middle school students from Paideia Classical School hit the beach this Earth Day, not to collect seashells or build sand castles but to help rid one of San Juan Island’s most popular beaches of trash.

For the past four years this classical Latin based private school in Friday Harbor has spent Earth Day afternoons at Jackson’s Beach cleaning up litter. Newly appointed principal and kindergarten through third grade teacher Judy Adams said her students rallied around the cause and realized that searching for garbage was actually fun. They found a huge piece of styrofoam, a four-foot length of old rebar and more than ten bags full of random trash. The most prevalent items were straws, water bottles and shotgun shells.

Other groups also helped keep the island beautiful by participating in the Great Island Clean Up on Saturday, April 23. Volunteers from San Juan, Orcas and Lopez Islands all donated their time to clean up their roads and beaches.