Wednesday, April 25 was not an ordinary day for Community students. For starters, school began at 8:00 rather than 7:50, and when they did show up, students were hardly prepared for a day of classes. Many of them had foregone backpacks and textbooks in favor of long pants, closed toed shoes, and water bottles. And rather than go to their first blocks, the entire student body set off to various local parks for a day of community service combating invasive species like garlic mustard and Dame’s Rocket.

The Forum Council organized Community High’s first Garlic Mustard Pull in 2010 to celebrate Earth Day, and although inclement weather canceled the 2011 Garlic Mustard Pull, the tradition is well alive in 2012. This year, Community students pulled nearly four tons of garlic mustard, almost twice as much as in 2010.

Most of the organization for the annual Garlic Mustard Pull is done by coordinators from Natural Area Presentation. NAP determines which local parks require the most work and supplies student volunteers with gloves, bags, and a basic description of the weeds they’re hunting. They then connect with CHS math teacher Marci Tuzinsky, who decides which forums go to which parks. Tuzinsky tries to have forums volunteer at the same parks every year so that students can see how their hard work has affected Ann Arbor’s parks.

This year, especially, CHS made a huge impact. Nearly four tons of garlic mustard is a huge amount, equal to the weight of: