University of Dayton and Deca High students help clean up Five Oaks

University of Dayton and Deca High School students joined together today for the annual Five Oaks neighborhood cleanup in recognition of Earth Day weekend.

Located on the UD campus, Deca High is a preparatory school dedicated to helping students achieve their goal of graduating college.

Bill Marvin, presdient of the Five Oaks Neighborhood Association and UD philosophy professor, said approximately 80 to 100 students came out to help clean up the neighborhood, around 20 of them Deca students.

"Five Oaks is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city," Marvin said. "A lot of good people come together and it's really good for the community."

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Members of the community also participate, helping the students with trash pickup, weed pulling, and tree plantings.

"The more we take care of our common space, the better it is for everybody because we are all in this together, " said Marvin.

Dona, a junior at Deca, sees the cleanup as an opportunity for herself and her classmates to come together and do something that benefits their community.

"We don't have to come here, said Dona. "But we are tired of seeing trash everywhere and the neighborhood looking bad. We came here for our younger kids so we could show them that we can do things together that don't just benefit us."

Cleanup efforts will continue April 22.

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