Anyone walking by the newly redone Ossian Hall Park after school this week may have noticed several students wandering around, clutching trash bags and wearing latex gloves as they shivered in the freezing weather. These were National Honor Society members picking up trash throughout the park.

NHS members were required to help pick up trash on either Dec. 13, 14, or 15 in order to give back to the community as a club. Students met with officers by the auditorium and were given a trash bag and gloves and sent out in groups to brave the temperatures and pick up trash.

“I think it was a ton of fun because I was giving back to my community,” sophomore Alvin Chan said. Chan had prior experience to this form of community service due to the fact that he is also a member of the Green Atoms.

“It’s an effective way to demonstrate service to the Annandale community,” senior Jake Dang said. Dang is the secretary of NHS. “It’s also sort of become one of our traditions every year. Next year, there will probably be much more trash to pick up as it’s probably going to be used a lot from now until then.” Dang also cited the fact that NHS members must also complete a certain amount of community service and leadership hours on their own.

“I felt we were doing our duty by picking up at the local park,” senior Julia Uglietta said. “It was nice to give back to the new park that will provide us with so much in the upcoming year.” Uglietta was one of the students that went to the Tuesday clean up.

“I think that the Ossian Park cleanup is a good thing for NHS members to do as a group because it really makes you feel like part of a team,” sophomore Olivia Buckley said, who picked up trash on the Dec. 15. “It’s a really good example of how much can be done through a concentrated group effort.”