Teens ready to work for hire-a-grad-day

Students stop texting. Start raking.

Spring is: longer days, warmer nights, robins, dandelion weeds and chipped paint.

Nothing is perfect. Therefore, the Sackville High graduating class of 2010 is prepared to help residents take on one of the most unpopular aspects of the season. Right up there with potholes it's . . . the dreaded spring cleaning.

Every year, for one day in May, a few hundred Sackville High graduates participate in hire-a-grad day.

They hit the streets with paint brushes, rakes and wheel barrels in tow, ready to paint, weed and scrub helping residents get ship shape for spring.

Working hard for little money, these kids will at the very least kick-start homeowners into tackling those chores everyone loves to avoid, from yard work to dishes.

Kerry MacQueen is now a leadership teacher and students' council advisor at Sackville High but in 1992 she was a grad student and knows about the long running tradition first hand.

"My mother hired me to clean my room," she laughed. "It took me all day."

For the most part, students will have a chance to dig their way out of their rooms and dig their way into peoples' back yards.

Mowing, weeding and painting is usually on the top of the chore list, but sometimes employers hire their day long employee to help with inside jobs like cleaning out cupboards.

"I know how to clean," said Hire-a-Grad participant Kayla Higgins matter-of-factly. "And it's worth it if we can get extra money for school."

Money raised from hire-a-grad goes into a pool of money that will be given back to the students in the form of staff awards. A staff committee of eight will meet once a week for one month to determine recipients. The number of awards and their value will be determined based on the amount of money raised.

"There are typically 10 to 12 awards of three to five hundred dollars each," said past committee chair Todd Adams.

Any student who participates will be eligible and recipients will be recognized on stage the day of graduation. This year hire-a-grad day is on May 21. There is a minimum charge of $25 for half day and $50 for a full day but workers typically make more money thanks to donations.

This will be the day students will be putting down the cell phone and picking up a rake.

They promise if you hire-a-grad you'll be happy with the work they do and you won't find them texting or talking on the phone while painting with one hand. Residents and businesses are encouraged to call. There are 270 students out there ready to make this community shine. Call 864-6700 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for details.