LIVERMORE FALLS – It’s hard work but it’s fun.

At least that’s what students in the Livermore Falls High School Job Club said.

It was apparent as they worked intently Thursday, with smiles on their faces, inside and outside the Livermore Falls Treat Memorial Library.

Melissa Day, 17, Victoria Peacock, 16, both of Livermore, and Maranda Forbes, 16, of Livermore Falls wore gloves as they washed bathroom floors on their hands and knees.

Forbes also took care of trash.

Allen Buzzell, 15, of Livermore was busy vacuuming the rugs.

Outside, Corey Doak, 17, and David Spence, 15, both of Livermore Falls, Stephan Welch, 15, of Livermore raked the front lawn clear of leaves.

Teacher Diane Maurais went in and out of the building checking on her charges.

She saw it reported in the newspaper that there was a shortage of funds to clean the library.

Maurais said she thought it would be a good way for her students to learn new skills and how to transition into the work force.

Students learn to be on time, how to get along with each other and follow directions, Maurais said.

“Some people forget that some people don’t know how to work,” she said. “They’re getting self-motivated.”

The kids have been thinking of jobs for themselves, she said. They’ve cleaned the sidewalk, which was very thick with dirt, and the girls cleaned under the pine tree.

“The kids are getting a credit and it’s work experience and it’s giving back to the community,” Maurais said.

They’re learning not to yell across a room and when they’re corrected not to blow up at her, she said.

“They have to remember, I’m their teacher and their boss,” Maurais said.

“I love helping,” Day said.

“I like it a lot,” Peacock said. “It gives me the experience of helping out and it makes me feel like a fellow librarian.”

Forbes said she liked helping out the community and helping to clean the library.

Buzzell said he picks up the trash at home and liked picking up the trash at the library to keep the place clean.

It takes him about 50 minutes to vacuum the main floor of the library, he said.

Spence, who is 6 feet, 5.5 inches tall, likes getting out of the classroom to do hands-on work.

He cleans the windows because he’s the only one who can reach them.

Doak, who works as a custodian at a convenience store/restaurant, said he’ll use the experience he’s getting to help his mother out at home.

“It feels pretty good,” Welch said, as he raked the grass and looked at the leafless ground.

“It’s hard work but it’s fun,” Peacock said, as she and the other girls cleaned up a walkway.

“The town and library have worked so closely with us,” Maurais said. “It’s been so good. Actually, they’re doing us more of a service by letting the kids learn transition and work skills. The kids have done so well. This has been such a good program.”

dperry@sunjournal.com

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