Some eighth graders at Ben Franklin Middle School spent much of their Wednesday afternoon assisting in setting up winter lights for the Holiday Light Festival at Sunset Hill Farms in Valparaiso.
Matt Howton, park manager for the Porter County Parks and Recreation Department, said the 30 or so students were “a great help” in jump-starting the preparation work for November’s festival.
“It really speeds our process up,” Howton said, noting that he only has four full-time employees on the Parks’ maintenance crew. “The kids will start by decorating the fences and trees, our employees will work on the main displays.”
Around 1 p.m., three or four groups of students were working at a rapid pace to ensure the trees and fences bordering the parking lot were covered with colorful Christmas lights.
According to Howton, students at Ben Franklin have been assisting in the setup every year since 1999.
The kids, who were doing the work as part of their eighth grade service day project, were guided by science teacher Jessica Snook. Snook said it was “great to see the kids enjoy the park and do some service at the same time.”
“It is good to see them give back to the community,” she said. “Valparaiso supports the schools so much, so this is a big way for them to give back.”
Although students have been assisting in the lights setup for more than a decade, Snook said it is the first time one of her “service day” groups had come to the Sunset Hill Farms for their project.
“What a gorgeous day it is,” she said. “Everyone is having fun and it will be good to see the kids come back around Christmas and see the lights they put up.”