Students Brave the Cold to Clean Up Forest Preserve

Tuesday, Jan. 17, was a bitterly cold day. The wind whipped its way through even the hardiest of coats, the frigid temperatures formed clouds from your breath, and winter—gearing up for another round of snow and ice later in the week—made its presence felt.

And if you braved the cold and trekked out to Hoover Forest Preserve in Yorkville, you would have seen something remarkable: a group of 20 high school sophomores, working feverishly to clear brush and debris. And what’s more, they were enjoying it.

This was the January meeting of the Student Leadership Initiative Program, which brings together students from Oswego, Oswego East, Plano and Sandwich high schools for what organizers call “experiences.” The program, started in 1994, is geared towards teaching kids how to become leaders, by putting them into situations they would not normally encounter.

Tuesday’s experience certainly qualified. For about three hours, students went to town with saws and knives, clearing the forest canopy of invasive species. They carefully identified which plants were unwelcome, and built a roaring bonfire to burn up the small saplings they cut down.

SLIP is an outgrowth of the Kendall County Outdoor Education Center, and its director, Deanna Bazan, runs the program. She said Tuesday’s effort was not only good for the forest preserve, but helped teach students the value of service.

Jakob Pasdertz, of Oswego High School, would agree. He said the group got more organized as the day went on, and while he and his fellow students were “cutting at random” early on, jobs were assigned after a while.

“While certain people hauled, some tended the fire, others cut, some sheared the branches, and the few, the proud glorious few—me and some other people—cut the trees into smaller, more fire-friendly pieces,” Pasdertz said.

Tuesday’s experience also included a potluck lunch, provided by the students—Pasdertz and his mother made Chex mix for the meal—and a hike through the forest preserve, which Bazan said is where most of the social bonding occurs.

Bazan said the January experience is a relatively new addition to the SLIP program, and came about because students asked for more activities. It was once an optional day of service, but Bazan said it has evolved into part of the regular program.

Pasdertz said the experience encouraged working with others, part of the core value of SLIP.

“And besides, now I can say I’ve been a lumberjack,” he said.

The Hoover Forest Preserve cleanup was the fourth SLIP experience of the school year. In February, students will travel to the Morris Courthouse and shadow public officials as they go about their daily duties. 

In April, they’ll undergo a wilderness challenge at the Outdoor Education Center. And the program culminates in May with a two-day event in which students “provide pioneer experiences for fifth graders,” according to the SLIP website. For more on the program, read .