On Oct. 27, students, parents and staff will assemble for Gunn Beautification Day, an annual event put on by the PTSA. The day will run from 8:45 a.m. until 12 p.m.

Last year, over 70 students volunteered. Parent coordinator Marilyn Putney said she hopes for equal enthusiasm this year. “It is a day for Gunn students to show their school pride,” Putney said.

The coordinators will implement a few changes this year to ensure that all areas of the campus are improved in accordance with staff priorities. “We decided to poll the teachers,” Andrea Ziebell, the other parent coordinator, said. “The athletic department always has input, and this year we will be staining the benches outside of the gym and painting the wrestling wall inside.”

However, Putney said many jobs will remain the same as years past. “Maybe about half of the jobs vary from year to year depending on need,” she said.

Last year, senior Aleksey Chubun participated in the event. “I painted the inside of the SAC with other people," he said. "I would like to paint something else this year."

Attention to the campus’s appearance became a priority about five years ago when landscaper Chandara Vinokkun began to improve the campus’s appearance. “Much of the landscaping around the Gunn campus was unsightly with mud patches, potholes and weeds,” Putney said. “Gardener Chandara Vinokkun has made a difference around campus with many beautiful planted areas, and he has some more projects in the works.”

At this year’s Beautification Day, volunteers will help weed and mulch some of the areas Vinokkun created but does not always have enough time to keep up. Putney said that the athletic fields take up so much attention that the gardens are often neglected.

Putney is concerned that some students do not take work day seriously. “To be honest, I don’t think all of the student body has a positive, mature attitude about this day,” she said. However, Putney said she believes the students who do participate have a meaningful experience. “I am hoping that students will have a greater appreciation for their campus and that they will do more to see that it is taken care of and not vandalized, littered upon or disrespected in other ways,” she said.

Ziebell said that volunteers often benefit from the day as much as the campus does. “Participating in this is just one way of giving back to our community and that is why we choose to volunteer our time,” Ziebell said. “It will be a rewarding experience for all those involved.”