Grand View Students Partner with Community for Neighborhood Clean-Up

April 23, 2026

On Tuesday, April 21, students from the Core II – Neighborhood class at Grand View took their classroom learning into the community through a hands-on litter clean-up event along University Avenue. The clean-up took place on a two-block stretch between East 14th and East 16th Streets, near the Grand View football field.

The event was organized in partnership with the City of Des Moines as part of its Adopt-A-Street Program. Through this initiative, Grand View University has officially adopted this section of University Avenue and has committed to maintaining it with at least two clean-up efforts each year.

Students were joined by a group from Hiatt Middle School, along with ELL teacher Trinindita Youngman, making the event a collaborative effort across schools and age groups. Together, participants worked to remove litter and improve the appearance and safety of the neighborhood.

This clean-up served as the culminating project for the Core II – Neighborhood class. Throughout the semester, students conducted a Road Safety Audit, completed field reports, and shared their findings at a community forum. The final event provided an opportunity to apply their research and reinforce the importance of civic engagement and community partnership.

By participating in the Adopt-A-Street Program, students not only contributed to a cleaner environment but also demonstrated how academic work can have a meaningful, real-world impact. Well done!