LIVERMORE FALLS – Students and their instructor, Barbara Jewett, walked down the driveway of the Livermore Falls High School and up a path to Pine Avenue on Monday morning. They crossed the street to Sewall Park, a cemetery, and got to work.

Some raked leaves and pine needles from the grounds while others stood by with plastic bags ready to fill.

The students are enrolled in the Jobs for Maine Graduates program at the high school. It is a statewide, private nonprofit corporation that provides students with the skills and motivation needed to succeed in higher education and the workforce.

This particular class took on the park as a community service project.

More students in other classes are also doing clean-up around town.

The rakes scraped across the ground and in between the headstones and around the monument as the plastic bags snapped open.

Nate Michaud wore gloves as his hands closed around a hefty pile of rakings and put them into a bag his brother Matt was holding.

It helps the community out and keeps the area clean, Nate Michaud said of the work.

His brother Matt said it not only helps the town but “makes me feel good about myself.”

“You don’t want to have the old people have to do it,” Matt Michaud said.

The brothers, juniors at the school, said they like helping people out.

Tyler Jackman, a sophomore, said the park will look nice once they’re done.

“It will give us a name for Livermore Falls,” Jackman said.

Junior Miranda Arsenault also joined in the clean-up, and was happy to lend a hand.

Richard Tracy, another junior, said he was getting experience from the work as well as credit for the class.

Jewett was busy herself, filling bags and tying them off and setting them near the road.

Just over a half-hour into the effort it was time to get back to the school.

They made some progress this trip.

Matt Michaud picked up a large bag of debris and put it over his shoulder and started walking toward the path. His brother followed suit with two bags as their classmates and instructor headed back with the rakes and more bags.

The organic matter would be dumped in a ditch to compost on the school grounds.