Barnegat Students Start 'Adopt-A-Street' To Clean Up Town

BARNEGAT, NJ — Three Barnegat High School freshmen once planned to participate in an Earth Day cleanup, only for it to get cancelled. They decided to clean up the town themselves and couldn't believe how much trash they found.

Nora Hansen, Jenna Marcy and Skylar Dasti started Barnegat's Adopt-A-Street Program as a result. Since they launched the program last year, 14 Barnegat streets have been adopted by different groups.

“We would love to see this continue to grow,” said Marcy, 15. “The more people we have, the more trash we can get off the streets.”

The students presented their idea to Michele Cucinotta, a counselor at the Lillian M. Dunfee School. Then they gave presentations to the Barnegat Township Committee and school administrators.

Since then, Girl Scout troops, church groups and softball teams have joined the program to help with cleanups.

“We always try to instill the idea of Barnegat Pride, and that’s exactly what this is all about,” said Barnegat Superintendent Dr. Brian Latwis. “These young ladies had an awesome idea and took action to make happen."

The next cleanup is scheduled for Saturday. Those who want to participate must first fill out an application, which can be found at https://www.barnegatschools.com/domain/2189.

Volunteers are asked to participate in at least three cleanups a year, separating trash from recyclables. Kids are welcome to participate but need adult supervision.

The starting point for Saturday’s cleanup is the Dunfee School, where gloves and trash bags will be handed out from 10:30-11 a.m., with the cleanup happening from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For more information about future cleanups, visit the Adopt-A-Street Program Facebook page, “Barnegat Adopt a Street.”

“It feels really good to make even a small difference,” said Hansen, 14. “It’s surprising how many people want to get involved. We want people to know there’s pride in Barnegat.”

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