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Baton Rouge second grader's vision to clean up area around school leads to community cleanup event
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BATON ROUGE -- A Westdale Heights Academic Magnet second-grader's vision to keep the area around his school clean inspired the school and Keep Tiger Town Beautiful to participate in a school cleanup event Saturday morning.
River Kaltakdjian, a second grader at Westdale Heights, was inspired after he and his mother attended his first cleanup event with Keep Tiger Town Beautiful.
"He said, 'Mom, I really want to get all my friends at school involved; how can we do it?' My mom's brain just started working, and here we are today," his mother, Darbi, said.
Darbi helped Westdale Heights and the Parent-Teacher Organization raise money for carts, grabbers, bags and gloves for everyone to use. She then called her friends at Keep Tiger Town Beautiful, who were happy to come help.
"I had no idea that this many people would show up. We panicked the other day and went and bought a bunch of grabbers to make sure that everybody could have a grabber," Keep Tiger Town Beautiful leader Jennifer Richardson said.
Meanwhile, River went to school and asked his friends if they'd help with a cleanup day. His friends showed up Saturday with their trash bags and grabbers, ready to make a difference.
"It's really cool. I really appreciate that all of my friends and family came to help us clean up this school, and help us clean up the world, really," River said.
Westdale Heights is considered a green school. The school emphasizes recycling and being environmentally friendly. The adults at the event said seeing someone as young as River care so much about cleaning up is encouraging to them.
"Just to see his enthusiasm about cleaning up and making sure that our city that we live in is litter-free, he just really, really is just so passionate," Darbi said.
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