Oct. 12, 2021

Students from the Lindbergh High School Academy visited Gravois Creek on Friday, Oct. 8 to clear the area of any litter they could find.

LHS Academy is an extension of Lindbergh High School that provides an alternative learning environment for students. A school within a school, LHS Academy is designed to meet the individual needs of each student. The program assists students who have experienced limited success in a traditional classroom setting, and those who recognize the need for positive change in themselves.

Gravois Creek is north of Officer Blake C. Snyder Memorial Park, near Grant’s Trail and perpendicular to Tesson Ferry Road. Students found a hodgepodge of trash, including empty aluminum cans, the entire door of a blue porta potty, leftover restaurant containers and a tattered grill lid.

“In past years we would only clean the park, but because we have enough students this year, we added the creek,” said LHS Academy English teacher Dr. Dan Murphy. “We are just cleaning as much as we can to see how full we can get the dumpster.”

Students were led by LHS Academy teachers Dr. Murphy, Mary Grobe, Drew Keirsey, Jennifer Marchand, Ed Perniciaro, Justin Schoemehl and Katiy Leighton, as well as LHS Academy Director Scott Goodrich.

Since the program started in 1994, students enrolled in LHS Academy have had to complete eight hours of service each quarter as part of the curriculum. 

“When I joined the academy in 2016, I approached Scott (Goodrich) about the idea of getting our students together for community service projects,” Dr. Murphy said. “Since then, it’s taken off and our students love it.”

LHS Academy is limited to 75 students each year. The program features more hands-on learning opportunities and provides more individualized instruction. Students enrolled in the program earn their high school diploma, attend the school’s graduation ceremony, and have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities.

The academy’s next community service project will be its annual Rake-A-Thon, where students rake leaves and clear yard waste for local senior citizens. This event is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 5 and Friday, Nov. 19.