Hampton Academy Students Haul 50 Pounds Of Trash Off North Beach

HAMPTON, NH — When you head to the beach in a few weeks, for the traditional start of the summer vacation season, you can thank some high school students for making it a little bit cleaner.

Thirty-two Hampton Academy students spent April 20 cleaning up North Beach as part of the Experiential Learning Program and The Green Team Environmental Club. The students, along with instructors, collected more than 50 pounds of trash in around two hours. The trash included rope, metal, bottles, straws, foam cups, bags and bag pieces, and other items. They even found pieces of carpet.

The effort was organized by Bonnie Heath, a special education teacher, and Paraeducator Chris Grippo, who is the vice-chairman of the Surfrider Foundation New Hampshire Chapter.

"One day,” Heath said, “Chris and I were talking about the Surfrider Foundation and thought, what a great way to teach students that it is everyone's responsibility to keep the oceans and beaches clean, and show them that what they do on land has a great effect on our waterways.”

The foundation is a nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the world's oceans and beaches.

"This clean-up could not have been more of a success, and that is thanks to the hard work and enthusiasm of our students and staff, who proved that a few hours of work can make a big impact,” Grippo said.

This is the second time students helped to clean North Beach. The first time was in October 2021.

Stanley Patterson, a student involved in the effort, said everyone, not just students, needed to keep the beaches clean.

"It is important to be aware of the plastic that goes into the ocean,” he said, “as it can harm the many species of animals in the water.”

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