Dedicated Teachers Inspire San Pablo Students to Clean Up Wildcat Creek 

“Leadership is more caught than taught. How does one “catch” leadership? It’s contagious: You get it from watching good leaders in action!” John C. Maxwell, “Lead by Example: 4 Elements of True Inspiration,” SUCCESS.

Teachers are often our first leaders and role-models. They have the power to motivate, and to lead by example. We can inspire our young Environmentalists even more by inspiring their classroom teachers!

KIDS for the BAY (KftB) celebrated the 29th annual Wildcat Creek Cleanup event on October 14, 2023 in collaboration with the City of San Pablo and local schools. In fifteen Wildcat Creek Presentations we invited San Pablo students from Dover Elementary School, St. Paul School and Helms Middle School to attend the annual community creek cleanup event, and encouraged students to make behavior changes to reduce trash and waste. Our partner teachers were thrilled for KftB to return to their classrooms, and many were eager to participate in the cleanup themselves! Their dedication inspired their students to take direct action to keep their local watershed clean and healthy and become Environmentalists and changemakers.

Third graders at Dover Elementary were inspired to participate in the cleanup after learning that the idea originated from a teacher and students at their own school. “I remember that Dover Elementary inspired the City to start the cleanup, right?” asked teacher Ms. Imelda. The inaugural Wildcat Creek Cleanup event took place when Pam Auxter’s third graders, inspired by their experiences in the Watershed Action Program, wrote letters urging the City to start a creek cleanup. Now, KftB and the City of San Pablo host the event annually. Pam Auxter’s dedication and love for KIDS for the BAY never wavered, and she left a generous legacy gift after her passing earlier this year. Her donation will fund a new program, Pam’s Watershed Rangers, at Dover Elementary in honor of Pam and her legacy.

Students in Ms. Barbs’ class at Helms Middle School were shocked and disheartened by the pictures of animals impacted by different types of pollution. “I can’t believe that bird has so much plastic in its stomach!” said José. Ms. Barb’s words of encouragement inspired them to take action to reduce harm to wildlife. “I know sometimes you think you are too young to make an impact and change things, but that is not true,” she said. “If you want to make a change, coming to the cleanup is a big step. If you can’t come to the cleanup, then think about how you can use the Five Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot and Refuse) at school and at home!”

The Wildcat Creek Presentations, along with our partner teachers’ eagerness to set an example and offer encouragement for their students, helped our young Environmentalists recognize their power to act, and encouraged them to form hypotheses and make decisions about how they could prevent plastic pollution from entering local waterways. 

On the cleanup day, teachers from Dover Elementary were thrilled to participate with their students, and students were heartened to see their teachers’ dedication to the cleanup effort. “Do you know where teacher Ms. Portillo is?” asked one student,“ I want to show her that I am here and I am doing my part for the environment!”

The cleanup inspired a turnout of more than 30 volunteers, including three teachers from Dover Elementary School. Students from each of their classes attended the cleanup with their families.  The teachers’ enthusiasm for the cleanup helped inspire their students to take action. Volunteers removed sixteen 45 gallon bags of trash and several hazardous materials including two television sets, an old sewing machine, rusty pieces of metal and a blender from Wildcat Creek! It was great to see the community come together to keep their local creek clean and prevent trash from traveling on to the San Francisco Bay. Parents from St. Paul School were thrilled that their children had the opportunity to participate in a cleanup close to home. “Events like this are not always close to us, so it’s great to have this event be local!” said one parent. This event helped our young Environmentalists, teachers and parents alike recognize the importance of caring for their local greenspaces and their potential to make an impact!

KIDS for the BAY