Ojai Valley School has adopted many service programs over the years but nothing close to its newest outreach campaign.
OVS Spanish and AP Environmental Science teacher Steve Risser has launched a school campaign to adopt two sections of Highway 33, which will allow students and teachers to help perform litter removal and beautify their community.
Originally, Mr. Risser’s plan was to do that work himself.
“I got tired of seeing [the trash] and started thinking about maybe heading out early in the morning with a trash bag,” said Mr. Risser, who drives the road each day on his way to and from school. “If you look, you’ll be amazed at how much litter you’ll see along the highway.”
Eventually, he came up with the idea of adopting the highway under the State of California’s Adopt-A-Highway program, an effort launched in 1989 to provide the opportunity for individuals, organizations and businesses to help maintain sections of roadside within the state’s highway system.
According to the Caltrans website, more than 120,000 Californians have cleaned and enhanced more than 15,000 shoulder-miles of roadside since the initiative was launched.
At first Mr. Risser thought of adopting the highway himself, but after mulling it over he decided to get the school involved. In November, he talked to Head Of School Craig Floyd about the project, and Mr. Floyd immediately jumped on board.
One section of Highway 33 that OVS has adopted is located at the Oak View Business District through the area in front of Rite Aid.
The second section of highway that has been adopted starts at Casitas Springs and extends for two miles toward Ventura.
Many members of the OVS community use Highway 33 in their daily drive to school, including OVS Spanish teacher Gretchen Wachter, who lives right off the 33 in an area that will now benefit from the cleanup campaign.
“A lot of trash accumulates and then it blows into my driveway,” said Ms. Wachter beaming about the idea of having the space cleaned.
For the project, OVS has approval to remove litter from those two sections of highway. To participate in litter removal, volunteers must be at least 16 years old, and there must be a trained leader present when trash removal is taking place.
The plan for OVS is to have Mr. Risser and Crystal Davis, the OVS Director Of Student Life, trained to lead groups of students for litter removal. The cleanup could be a community service opportunity for students or perhaps a way for them to work off laps, which is the school’s demerit system.
The idea of adopting a highway is one that is misunderstood. There are signs everywhere emblazoned with the names of people, companies and volunteer groups that have adopted sections of highways.
However, highway adoption is not something that the adopter puts money into. In fact it’s the other way around, as the state of California provides a stipend of a couple of hundred dollars to people or volunteer groups that adopt highways and put the time and work into maintaining them.
Mr. Risser, who also oversees the student garden at the Upper Campus, is planning on using the stipend to purchase materials for the garden including a wheelbarrow, shovels and soil.
Ms. Wachter believes the project is a great way for students to invest their time and energy off the hill.
“I think it’s a great idea, especially for a weekend activity and a way for kids to get out and serve not only the school but the community,” Ms. Wachter said.