By Kathryn Coulibaly
Not many high schools can boast beachfront access, but for 54 years, Bayonne High School’s (BHS) students and staff have been keeping their shoreline clean. In 1971, BHS’s Ecology Club held the first shoreline cleanup with the help of the city. One of the founding student members of the club, Tom Tokar, eventually returned to teach at BHS for more than 30 years and continued the program.
Today, Dan DiDonna, an environmental science teacher at BHS, spearheads the project, coordinating with the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC). The students enrolled in the environmental science classes are given the opportunity to clean the Newark Bay shoreline behind BHS twice a year. The commission provides cleaning supplies, mulches heavy driftwood and hauls away the trash and recyclables collected by the students.
“The students have always liked taking part in the cleanup events,” DiDonna says. “Besides being able to get a little sunshine and fresh air, they seem to recognize the importance of taking ownership of their community. Sadly, we as a society seem to not even notice the trash building up, as if it is simply part of the backdrop of the environment. It is important to show students the ecosystems that surround them, where the trash comes from, how it gets here to Bayonne and the impact it has on our ecosystems.”
The cleanup is a large component of Bayonne’s environmental science curriculum. Bayonne is an integral part of the watershed system of northern New Jersey. Bayonne is connected to a very large percentage of the state through the Passaic and Hackensack River systems, and therefore the city is affected by all of the pollution in those water systems.
“It’s important for students to see these interconnections and to understand their significance in the big picture,” DiDonna says. “It is also a valuable lesson for the students to see the trash piled up on the shoreline so they can observe firsthand how that trash impacts the life surrounding Newark Bay. Showing the students a piece of floating Styrofoam and having it crumble into small, fish egg-like pellets in their hands is powerful. It allows them to connect trash and its environmental impact in a realistic way.”
DiDonna is joined on the cleanups by other environmental science teachers, Bayonne Education Association President Gene Woods, and Tokar, who is now retired but enjoys coming back to visit his hometown.
As the students swarm over the shoreline, they find the usual kinds of litter, including plastic drink containers, foil snack wrappers and various types of Styrofoam, which is the most harmful and common trash found. But there have been some memorable finds over the years, including a mattress and box spring set, a toilet, full-sized Power Wheels, tires and 55-gallon oil drums.
Students gather the trash and bring them up to the PVSC trucks for disposal. They also gather driftwood, sometimes huge logs, which are mulched by the PVSC.
“I didn’t have opportunities like this when I was a student,” DiDonna says. “I feel that education is all about access, and that it is important to provide students with access to information, experiences and differing perspectives in order to create well-rounded people.”
In addition to the twice-yearly cleanups, in the fall and spring, BHS looks for other opportunities to connect students to their environment. In October 2023, they planted five trees on the campus thanks to a grant.
“Environmental stewardship is one of the most important values to fold into our lessons. Being able to spark an interest in the natural world and protect that world is what we should strive for as science teachers,” DiDonna says.
Kathryn Coulibaly is the associate editor of the NJEA Review and provides content and support to njea.org. She can be reached at kcoulibaly@njea.org.
Celebrate Earth Day
Held annually on April 22, Earth Day began in 1970. Created by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day, making it the largest secular day of protest in the world at the time. At the time Earth Day was created, there were no legal or regulatory mechanisms to protect our environment. Learn more about Earth Day and get inspiration for school or community-based projects at earthday.org.