Lankenau, Ernst & Young Beautify Campus

Lankenau High School students, with the elbow grease from Ernst & Young volunteers, performed a little more than yardwork on a hot fall Friday.

As part of the Green Apple Day of Service and EY Connect Day, high school students and corporate volunteers dug, planted and spruced up several outside areas at the Spring Lane campus.

"Lankenau High School is a magnet environmental science school with most of our students pursuing careers in those subjects. Today, the students get to work hands on with science," said Mike Southerton, a communication, SAT prep and English teacher.

With everything done with science in mind, the workers constructed compost bins, planted flowers near the school's welcome sign and tended what soon will be a milkweed garden, with the idea of attracting migrating Monarch butterflies for students to catalog.

"It was good. Tiring and lots of hard work. But it was worth it because it's looking good I helped plant the flowers and dig a hole for the trees and put the rocks around the circle near the Lankenau sign. Yeah I did enjoy myself it was a good experience knowing that I help making Lankenau's surrounding much prettier and yes I would like to do it again," sophomore Alanis wrote about here experience.

Ernst & Young employees helped at Lankenau—one of 16 volunteer sites in the Philadelphia area and one of 103 nationwide.

Brian Marshall, a partner who cleared a walking path, said the accounting firm values the annual day of service.

"This really gives our employees a chance to get out there in the community. Some people are out doing work like this, while other people can help in different areas," he said.

Ernst & Young staff also helped Lankenau students with a college prep class, he said.