KEEPING UP APPEARANCES; VOLUNTEERS MAKE CAMPUSES SHINE.Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer Addie Washington wiped her brow and looked approvingly at the newly planted geraniums, trimmed hedges and swept walkways at John B. Monlux Elementary School elementary school: see school. . With only two maintenance workers on staff, keeping the North Hollywood campus looking its best is a Sisyphean task. ``The school really needed some work. There was a lot of trash, the trees needed to be trimmed and the grass needed to be cut,'' said Washington, the school's librarian and parent of a fifth-grade girl. ``Now it looks a lot nicer.'' Washington was among more than 4,000 volunteers who participated Saturday in the sixth annual L.A. Works community service day. In cooperation with the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. , participants descended on 14 schools throughout the city. In the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , volunteers helped spruce up spruce up Verb [sprucing, spruced] to make neat and smart Verb 1. spruce up - make neat, smart, or trim; "Spruce up your house for Spring"; "titivate the child" Monlux, Toluca Lake and Sun Valley elementaries. At Monlux, about 150 volunteers helped plant flowers and sod, trim shrubbery and pull weeds. ``I like getting out in the community,'' said Miranda Dempsey, a member of Westwood United Methodist Church United Methodist Church, in the United States, religious body formed by the union in 1968 of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Church (see Methodism). of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , during a break from pulling out unruly ivy vines near the school's front entrance. ``I'm personally blessed with a lot of things in my life, so it's nice to help other people.'' Luiz Ortiz, whose 6-year-old daughter attends first grade at the school, came with his wife and 11-year-old son. Armed with pruning shears, Ortiz trimmed dozens of trees and shrubs on the campus. ``I made it safe,'' Ortiz said, inspecting his handiwork. ``Before, the kids could jump up and break the branches.'' The event also drew 35 honor students from The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks. The students, looking to fulfill a community service requirement, said volunteering at a local elementary school gave them a chance to help their less-fortunate neighbors. ``Our school is really green and beautiful, and I wanted to help make this school more like ours,'' said junior Mike Scheider, 17. Larry Brown Larry Brown may refer to:
CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1) Eric Wilkins trims ivy Saturday at Toluca Lake Elementary during the L.A. Works community day. (2) Volunteers use beams to create flower beds. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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