Goessel students help with storm cleanup
By DELBERT PETERS
Contributing writer
The ice storm of Feb. 4 and 5 gave Goessel High School students an opportunity to help in the community cleaning up yards. The school district and the City Council of Goessel picked Jan. 12 as a day when the high school students could volunteer to pick up branches and would not be required to attend classes.
At least 75 students agreed to help in the morning.
"We divided into two groups and went to both east and west sides of town," said high school principal Curt Graves.
Home owners who had piled limbs in their yards were relieved of the task of hauling them away. The city provided a site south of West Branch Park to pile the broken branches and as the trailers were unloaded, the city maintenance supervisor, Joe Base, pushed the brush into a large pile.
Several of the school staff operated chain saws to cut large limbs into smaller pieces, and homeowners that wanted limbs cut into firewood had students stack the wood for them.
"Staff members hauled 147 trailer loads of branches to the designated site," said Graves. "Thirty-three kids volunteered to continue the task in the afternoon. The kids were tired but they did well."
"When homeowners would come out to thank the students, you could tell the students enjoyed the day," Graves continued.
