*This is a special feature from the City of San José, Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services
BeautifySJ is helping a new kind of leadership grow in San José, starting at local schools. This past school year, students at three elementary schools took part in an exciting pilot program with the BeautifySJ Neighborhood Litter Program. With support from the Litter Education Team, students learned how to show their pride for their schools and neighborhoods by taking care of their public spaces. They put what they learned into action by leading school cleanup events and helping organize community activities.

The pilot Environmental School Stewardship Program was created to empower students to take action in protecting their communities. Through the program, students learned about the damaging effects litter has on the environment, then they put those lessons into practice in their schools and neighborhoods.

During the 2024-2025 school year, three elementary schools participated in the pilot program: Washington Elementary School in District 3, Franklin Elementary School in District 7, and Katherine Smith Elementary School in District 8. More than 1,200 students joined the efforts to make their schools and communities cleaner, healthier, and safer for all.

Washington Elementary School principal receives #BSJProud certificate and banner from BeautifySJ.

First, students attended a fun and informative BeautifySJ presentation about litter. Then, the students worked together to plan cleanup events in and around their school campuses, and talked to their classmates, friends, family, and neighbors about the importance of taking action in caring for the planet. Many students also got their families involved in the program by hosting weekend cleanups and collecting illegally dumped items like electronics and trash in their neighborhoods.

Each participating school selected a staff member to maintain communication with the BeautifySJ team and help keep the program on track in the classrooms. The schools also used an online account on Better Impact to track their progress throughout the school year.

At the end of the school year, each school had a ceremony to celebrate their program accomplishments. The schools received a certificate and a special #BSJProud banner for their dedication to cleaner schools and neighborhoods. Each event ended with smiles, pizza, and popsicles—a fun way for all the students to celebrate a year of making a difference in their communities.

Students from Franklin Elementary School gather together and proudly hold their #BSJProud banner.

Through the help of BeautifySJ, the students showed their communities what it means to #BSJProud: being proud of where you live and working to keep it clean and beautiful. The Environmental Stewardship Program gave students at the three schools an opportunity to be leaders in their communities, not just by cleaning up trash, but by stepping up and caring for their school, neighborhood, city, and planet.

If you would like to learn more about BeautifySJ, please visit beautifysj.org.

The ActivateSJ Strategic Plan is the City of San José's Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS) plan to maintain, improve and expand our facilities, programs, and services. The plan guides how we care for and develop a diverse park system and an abundance of recreation programs and services for all in San José.

ActivateSJ’s mission is to connect people through parks, recreation, and neighborhood services for an active San José. To learn more about our department’s plan and vision to move forward, visit activatesj.org.