Aminah Hayes, a sophomore-to-be at Wyandotte High School, shovels mulch into a garden as she and other area high school students work on a beautification effort as a part of the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy. The project was done Tuesday at the Lawrence Rotary Arboretum, 5100 W. 27th St. Students in the academy, who are mainly from northeast Kansas, will spend most of this week working on various projects around town and cultivating leadership skills.

Early morning rain did not get in the way of local high school students’ hard work at the Lawrence Rotary Arboretum.

Nearly 80 students volunteered their Tuesday morning to help with landscaping projects in conjunction with Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department. The students are participants in the Northeast Kansas Rotary Leadership Camp.

Emily Soza from Topeka High spent the morning shoveling mulch from a truck into wheelbarrows for other students. The sweat on her forehead and dirt on her hands were evidence to her work.

“Service is about helping others and making and impact in the community,” Soza said.

Soza and the other camp members edged, weeded and mulched landscape beds, planted native perennial flowers, grasses and shade trees and also painted trash barrels, hydrants and park benches.

Justin Sailer, camp coordinator, said service is an important part of the camp and it’s good that they can give back to the community.

“Service is something you do throughout your life,” Sailer said. “Giving back early helps get them in the habit of the needs and importance of giving to others.”

The camp chose the arboretum because it could work with other local Rotarians who helped sponsor the camp in addition to the community.

“They’re giving back to the people who are giving to them,” Sailer said.

The morning’s events culminated in a new sign dedication from Lawrence Rotary Clubs in honor of the students’ work.