TOMS RIVER, N.J. – Students are back in classrooms today across Toms River, but the work to make their schools ready for the first day started weeks before anyone packed a backpack.
Throughout the summer, Toms River Regional Schools organized cleanup projects at buildings across the district. The biggest push came Aug. 20, when students, employees, families and volunteers turned out for the district’s second annual Beautification Day.
The district-wide effort covered all 12 elementary schools and three intermediate schools, with volunteers tackling everything from overgrown playground areas to flower beds and sidewalks.
A Summer Cleanup Before Students Came Back
Director of Operations Bryan Madigan organized Beautification Day, with individual school leadership teams deciding which areas needed the most attention.
That meant the work looked a little different from school to school. Volunteers pulled weeds around playgrounds, spread mulch in flower beds facing school entrances and cleaned sidewalks, while some buildings tackled several projects at once.
“I truly appreciate everyone working together to make our schools look their best and ready to welcome back our students,” Madigan said.
- All 12 Toms River elementary schools and three intermediate schools participated in the district-wide Beautification Day.
- Students, staff members, families and high school T.E.A.M. volunteers helped with the work.
- The Aug. 20 event followed several other cleanup and improvement projects held throughout the summer.
Who helped clean up the Toms River schools?
The work wasn’t left entirely to district maintenance crews. Students, school employees, families and high school T.E.A.M. volunteers joined the effort, according to Toms River Regional Schools.
Beautification Day Wasn’t the First Cleanup of Summer
By the time the district-wide event arrived, several schools had already received some attention.
Earlier projects included a community beautification effort, cleanup work involving student-athletes, improvements at Intermediate South and a summer spruce-up at Walnut Street School.
The Aug. 20 event brought those efforts together on a much larger scale. It was the second year the district organized a coordinated Beautification Day across its schools.
What kind of work was done at the schools?
Projects depended on what each building needed. The district said volunteers pulled weeds, mulched flower beds, cleaned sidewalks and worked on other exterior areas to improve the appearance of school grounds.
Weeks of Work Lead to the First Day
For students arriving this morning, most of that work will simply look like a cleaner walkway, a tidier playground or a freshly mulched entrance.
That’s the point.
The cleanup projects were designed to have the buildings looking their best before students returned, giving the district’s schools a fresh start outside as classes get underway inside.
When did Toms River begin preparing schools for opening day?
Cleanup and beautification projects took place throughout the summer, with the major district-wide Beautification Day held Aug. 20, nearly two weeks before today’s first day of school.
Sources: Toms River Regional Schools, district Beautification Day report and summer cleanup updates
