Park Rangers These Kids Want You To Help Keep Area Parks Clean For Everyone

First-graders are budding idealists.

When Cheryl McKee’s first grade saw the mess at Riverfront Park after Bloomsday, they were appalled.

The next day at school their hands shot into the air. “How could people just run off and leave their clothes in the trees?” they asked their teacher. “How could people leave food all over the ground?”

Filled with pint-sized outrage, the first-graders at Garden Springs Elementary wanted to personally clean up the park themselves. When they found out that a field trip from their school near Spokane International Airport wasn’t in the school budget, they switched to Plan B.

The kids decided to mount a campaign to remind all those messy grown-ups to pick up after themselves.

They devised a slogan, “Do Your Part In Our Park!” They designed posters. They wrote 22 letters to the editor.

McKee explains that first-graders are full of passion. They have a definite sense of right and wrong, they believe in firm rules, and they love to rally around a good cause.

Anthony Mann wrote: “Dear Spokane, I hate to tell you this. But there are people that are throwing garbage into Riverfront Park, and I do not like it! And I mean it!”

Today we’re printing a selection of the children’s letters and posters. Soon school will be over, and kids will be pouring into parks all over town.

Now it’s your turn. Help keep the parks in your neighborhood clean. They’ll know you got the message.

Dear Spokane, Riverfront Park is a good park. A lot of people go there with kids and babies, and the babies crawl. They might pick up your garbage, and they shouldn’t have to. Ashley Burmley

Dear Spokane, If you littered, will you please pick up after yourself? Oscar Cooley

Dear Spokane, Please do not litter Riverfront Park because people want to play there. John Morgan

Dear Spokane, Riverfront Park needs to be picked up. Hold your noses! It stinks! Billy Tipke

Dear Spokane, We wish you would pick up Riverfront Park because it is messy! Kayla Johnson

Dear Spokane, I am very sorry that the park is dirty. The park will get cleaned by me! Sonya Hunt

Dear Spokane, Please do not litter the park. I want to see a beautiful park. Do you? Amanda Sinnott

Dear Spokane, I want you to pick up after yourself because it is messy today. I want you to pick up! Ashley Scott

Dear Spokane, Please don’t litter Riverfront Park. We want to play there. Carly Berry

Dear Spokane, Please pick up after yourself because I want the earth clean. Zach Watkins

Dear Spokane, I don’t like that Spokane is a mess, but I would like it if we could pick up all the garbage. I would like that and everyone would like that and Mrs. McKee would, too. Jaymee Mason

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