Lehigh Carbon Community College celebrated the opening of its Tamaqua SHINE facilities this past October — now the group is doing some much-needed cleaning in honor of Earth Day.

Forty kids and their teachers and coordinators from the Tamaqua SHINE program celebrated Earth Day by cleaning the immediate area around Tamaqua Elementary School on Monday afternoon.

SHINE teacher Jessica Schaefer of Hometown got the idea one day while the students were outdoors walking earlier this school year.

“We were outside enjoying the fall foliage and talking about nature as part of their STEAM education program. Several of the students noticed trash around the school during our walk and said about working to clean it up. We all agreed we had to work that into our program somehow, and through cooperation with PennDOT’s Great American Cleanup of PA initiative, we were able to incorporate an Earth Day cleanup of the elementary school,” Schaefer said.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation sent the classes gloves, rakes, trash bags and orange vests to aid in the cleanup. In total, the kids collected more than 30 bags of trash.

“I liked this Earth Day project because it is our way of helping the world be a better place,” Tamaqua third-grader Alizah Roudes said.

The SHINE program incorporates STEAM learning for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. Though the Tamaqua extension is relatively young, it is at 92 percent capacity with a little over 80 students enrolled.

SHINE — Schools and Homes in Education — is a nationally recognized 21st Century Community Learning Center after-school program administered by Lehigh Carbon Community College.

The program is the result of a grass-roots initiative that began in 2004 and has served more than 3,500 academically at-risk K-12 students and their families.

“We’re so proud of how well the SHINE program is doing and the difference it is making in students’ lives throughout the area,” SHINE program director Rachel Strucko said.

“We were happy to include Tamaqua this year, as they’ve been requesting for a long time. Teachers and coordinators report it’s really been helping students with their academic standing and behaviorally. Everyone from the Tamaqua administration, to the teachers, the community and the students have been wonderful. I’m amazed at the accomplishments of the Tamaqua SHINE Center this year — it’s truly been a team approach.”

Before the event, several students enrolled in a Sparks lab program were testing model boats made of 3D-printed plastic. The experiment was to test buoyancy of the watercraft when pennies or “passengers” were boarded.

“Though the SHINE program is primarily for kids in first through fifth grade, we are also incorporating other ways for students to get involved,” Strucko said.

“Our Sparks labs run biweekly and challenge participating students through STEAM-based experiments. We’re hoping these two programs are just the beginning and we can give Tamaqua students more to do after school.”

Though no immediate STEAM lessons were taught as the kids picked up trash in the fields around the school, Schaefer said there may be an even more important lesson to learn — one of building character.

“We will probably spend a few days discussing the earth’s geography or how we can affect the environment, but today was about teaching our students about making good choices and correcting the bad choices of others,” she said. “I was pleased the students were so eager to tackle this project, and it goes to show the spirit we want to foster at the Tamaqua SHINE program.”