The two Environmental Science classes at Manitou Springs High School are endeavoring to clean up the Crystal Hills Cemetery throughout the school year. The classes first attended an orientation at the cemetery on Oct. 10 and Oct. 13 where classes learned the general jobs required by volunteers, which include noxious weed removal, cleaning up litter and debris and overall creating a clean space in the city. Andrew Slama, the Environmental Science teacher, plans to take his classes to the cemetery whenever the weather cooperates.
Slama has done cleanups around the city with his classes before, but never coordinated with the community. “We would do cleanups on Fountain Creek, kind of in the spirit of the Fountain Creek Watershed,” Slama said. “A goal moving forward is to connect us more to the community in all my classes.”
Slama feels that this opportunity will benefit the community in a couple of ways. “I want adults to see teenagers as ready and willing to participate, and I also want adults to be ready for volunteering students to integrate the community a little bit more,” he said.
He hopes that his anatomy classes can also one day join in this opportunity. “I want to provide more opportunities for kids to get hands-on experience to see if they would like certain job opportunities,” Slama said. “I think it’s meaningful for the school and our communities.”
Slama believes that this opportunity will be educational for his students. “I think that it teaches students a little bit more about the ins and outs of what keeps a town ticking,” he said. “It gets us out of these four walls, gets people talking with members of the community and all around just gets us into spaces that are new and interesting to stimulate learning.”
Slama has noticed that some students that visit the cemetery at lunch leave trash behind, and feels that the process of keeping things clean is a never ending cycle.
Star Rudin (10) eats lunch at the cemetery routinely during the week and has noticed students leaving trash on accident before.
Rudin and her friends visited the cemetery for lunch on Nov. 3, and they were told not to leave trash there by someone working at the cemetery. “She came up to us and she said ‘Don’t leave trash here, we’re trying to clean this place up,’” Rudin said. “I think it’s really annoying that people are leaving trash there, and I usually pick up their trash if I see it.”
Students were also tasked with identifying some of the weeds through an app called Seek.
Lulu Freitas (10), a student that visited the cemetery on Nov. 5, learned that weeds are incredibly spreadable, and they can take over if left unkempt.
Freitas has noticed litter at the cemetery in the past, and feels that it’s disrespectful to the space. “I’m excited to clean up and get some good juju,” Freitas said.
On the morning of Jan. 7 Manitou Springs High School assistant principal, Jessie Nunley, announced that the Crystal Hills Cemetery would furthermore be closed to all students during lunch time. This decision was made to minimize littering from students and to respect services that may take place simultaneously with the MSHS lunch period.
Over the 2025-2026 school year, the two MSHS Environmental Science classes are endeavoring to clean up the cemetery in an effort to give back to the community, get students involved and reverse the effects of student waste in the area.
