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The Student News Site of Ocean Lakes High School

The Current
The Student News Site of Ocean Lakes High School

The Current
The Student News Site of Ocean Lakes High School

The Current
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Students restore Ocean Lakes community, compete for local award

Shayna Lovitz, Staff Writer
June 9, 2025
Allison Graves
Pictured from left to right: Seniors Bryce Phillips, Miles Gravitt, Lindsay Meadows, Roman Chapman and Grace Thompson examined the pile of trash they collected around Ocean Lakes and the Virginia Beach Little League. The students received an award for “most pounds of trash removed” after the clean up. The photo was taken on April 30, 2025, in the Ocean Lakes High School student parking lot.

 Every year, eight million metric tons of plastic infect the oceans and waterways. Lynnhaven River Now, a local environmental organization dedicated to cleaning the Hampton Roads community, challenged schools to clean their campuses. 

On April 30, 2025, about 40 student volunteers from National Honor Society (NHS) and the Class of 2028 worked together for two hours to pick up trash around the Ocean Lakes High School and Virginia Beach Little League grounds. 

Together, they not only picked up around 170 pounds of litter but also competed against other Virginia Beach City Public High Schools to collect trash.

Ocean Lakes High School was recognized as the winner for “most pounds of trash removed” from grounds on Thursday, May 29, 2025, according to Allison Graves, NHS sponsor. 

“The cleanup made me feel like I was making a real difference in the community,” junior Miles Pullman said. “I always drive by these areas and see the trash that I finally got to pick up.”

 

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About the Contributor
Shayna Lovitz
Shayna Lovitz, Staff Writer
Shayna Lovitz is a sophomore, first-year journalist and staff writer for The Current.  Outside of school she plays soccer, bakes for her friends and family and loves to work out. She also enjoys writing poetry and playing with her four dogs. Shayna is not sure what her plans are after high school, but she hopes to write feature and opinion articles as a journalist.