PEP Hopewell Trash Talker's poster for the awareness campaign
When Learning Feels Real, Students Rise to the Occasion
The students in Pam Walker's class at PEP Hopewell already had a name for themselves: the Trash Talkers. They picked up litter in the blocks around their school as a regular part of their school experience, taking ownership of the space around them. This year, Ms. Walker took that energy and built something much larger out of it.
What followed was a months-long community learning project that took the students from their neighborhood sidewalks all the way to a presentation at Cleveland City Hall, with a public awareness campaign backed by the Mayor's Office to show for it.
Seeing Their Community with New Eyes
Ms. Walker took the Trash Talkers out into the broader neighborhood to observe their environment with intention. What they found was discouraging. Trash was scattered throughout the area, and the students noticed real hazards too, including broken glass and damaged fencing. Rather than simply cleaning it up, they wanted to understand why the problem existed and whether anything could be done about it.
This kind of work, rooted in observation, inquiry, and real-world problem solving, is at the heart of project-based learning. For students who face behavioral health challenges, this approach can be especially powerful. When the problem is real, the learning feels personal. The work has stakes. And students who might otherwise struggle to engage find themselves fully invested.
The Trash Talkers were no exception.
The Work of Real Researchers
Guided by Ms. Walker, the class designed a community survey and distributed it to neighbors to better understand the habits behind littering. Their findings pointed to something surprisingly direct: many residents said they simply didn't bother throwing their trash away. They knew it was wrong. They did it anyway.
That answer stuck with the students. It told them that this wasn't a problem without a solution. If behavior was the issue, maybe the right message could help change it. They brainstormed ideas for a public awareness campaign and eventually found their perfect spokesperson: Lala, their beloved class turtle.
When the students reflected on what a neglected environment would mean for a creature like Lala, the campaign came into focus. She would be the face of it. The poster they created features Lala resting along the shores of Lake Erie, the Cleveland skyline rising behind her, discarded bottles and cans at her feet. At the top: "Protect Our Lake. Respect Our Land." At the bottom, in bold: "Lala's Paying Attention."
It is the work of students who understand that the environment they are asking others to care for is also their own.
Cleveland Takes Notice
Word of the project reached the Mayor's Office. Mayor Justin M. Bibb's administration invited the students to present their research and findings to the City of Cleveland. The Trash Talkers came prepared, sharing what they had learned through their survey and walking city officials through their vision for the campaign.
The City endorsed it. The Mayor's Office of Sustainability gave the students permission to add their name to the bottom of the poster, a meaningful recognition that the work of young people can reach the highest levels of local government. Channel 20 covered the announcement, bringing Lala's message to audiences across the city.
For students who navigate real challenges every day, that recognition means something profound. These young people are not defined by their struggles. They are researchers. Advocates. Community members with something important to say. And they are proud of what they built.
Why It Matters
Students come to PEP because they need something different. They need environments where they feel safe enough to take risks, supported enough to do hard things, and trusted enough to lead. The Trash Talkers had all of that in Ms. Walker's classroom, and look what they did with it.
They learned to observe their world carefully. They asked good questions and listened to what their neighbors had to say. They took what they found and turned it into something that now hangs on walls across Cleveland. And they stood in front of city officials and made their case.
That is what it looks like when young people are given the chance to show up as who they really are.
PEP is incredibly proud of the Trash Talkers and everything they have accomplished. We are not surprised, though. We always knew they had something important to offer their community. Now Cleveland knows it too.
Learn More
For more information about what is happening at PEP’s Therapeutic Schools, visit our website. Contact Nicole Molnar, senior director, clinical services, at 216-361-7760 ext. 110 or via email to see if a student in your district may be a good fit for Positive Education Program.
Please note, referrals to PEP's Therapeutic Schools are made through school districts in consultation with parents. Interested parents or caregivers should contact their school administrator.