LC music students rake leaves to raise money

A small black pickup truck pulled up to a house kitty-corner to Hutton Elementary on Saturday morning. When the doors opened, a group of high school students emerged, grabbing rakes and leaf blowers from the bed.

“We’re about to bump some tunes,” said Sarah Garvin, a junior at Lewis and Clark High School.

She and the others are members of the LC music program. They were raking leaves to raise money for new equipment and class trips, including a much-anticipated visit to Disneyland scheduled for next year.

The students posted a message on the Next Door app’s South Hill group, and residents requested their leaves be raked. Homeowners left out garbage bags for the leaves on their front porches and donated an amount of their choosing.

The house across from Hutton was familiar to Milo Miller, also a junior. He helped clean up leaves there last year but with a few more helping hands.

“It took us the entire time with three groups,” Miller said. “There were 25 people and like 60 bags of leaves.”

The house in question has a small front yard and a backyard with three tiers and a handful of trees. Last year, the homeowners hadn’t raked at all and it was snowing. This year, the homeowners got a head start and Miller was confident his group of about six could handle it.

Garvin is especially looking forward to the Disney trip for her senior year with the friends she has made singing in choir.

“It feels like a really strong family and that I’m supported in everything that I do,” Garvin said. “It’s a cool way to do art.”

Most of the upperclassmen have repeat houses they visit every year that give generous donations.

“There were a lot of good people who gave us a lot more money than we deserved,” Garvin said.

Spencer Young, a senior, got the leaf blower to help tackle the massive backyard.

“I kind of volunteered myself, I guess,” Young said. “I thought it would be easier than raking.”

Young plays trombone in the wind ensemble and is looking forward to heading off to college next year to study mechanical engineering.

After a half hour of raking, a few kids took a break on a giant swing set that matched the large backyard, eliciting yells from their friends to get back to work.

Up the street and around the corner, Wendy and Todd Jones were heading out for the day while students raked their lawn. Their children attended LC and participated in the fundraiser a few times. Now Todd’s dad is having health issues and the help is much appreciated.

“It saves so much time, it’s amazing,” Todd said.

The couple waved goodbye to their helpers, saying more than a few thank yous.

Samantha Best, a sophomore, was one of the students raking their yard. While she admitted it was a little too cold outside for her liking, she said she was excited for what the money will do for the program, like help students who may not be able to afford to go on the trips otherwise.

As the raking continued, spirits remained high and laughter kept erupting from the group. After a few hours, the students headed back to Hutton, where vegan chili and hot dogs awaited them.