Will Kozeny, junior, was 1 of more than 40 students who spent his Spring Break at MHS for the first Spring Cleaning event on Monday, March 18.

“It was a very tiring but very rewarding day,” Kozeny said.

Kozeny and other participants swept, mopped and wiped down 116 classrooms in teams of four to five under the supervision of one staff member. Some also cleaned the banisters, stairwells or windows across the building. 

“I think it’s going to feel like a fresh start,” Senior Principal Amy Sturges said.

Sturges said she created the event in place of the annual spring break service trip that had students traveling out of state to volunteer. She said she wanted to do something local so more students could participate.

“Being able to do what you can with the time you have is huge, whether it’s here at Marquette or out in the community,” Sturges said.

Sturges said when she reached out to staff to see what they would prefer, many teachers wanted classrooms deep-cleaned.

“We are short custodians, but there is only so much they can do on a day-to-day basis,” Sturges said.

Sofia Vardanyan, freshman, volunteered with her friends, freshmen Rineeta Vaghchhipawala and Maryum Ali. She hoped to get volunteer hours that could count for future clubs.

Vardanyan wiped off chairs in each room and said she was surprised by how dirty they were.

“The rooms with really bad chairs, where dust and hair collects up on the chair feet and legs, are the worst,” Vardanyan said.

Vardanyan said she saw the value in cleaning up.

“Since we don’t have that many custodians and classrooms were not in the best shape, it really helps to tidy up the school,” Vardanyan said.