SOUTH BEND — The South Bend Police Department's Weed and Seed program weeds out problems and seeds positive examples for kids and teenagers. The program selects a South Bend neighborhood every 5 years. This will be the final year for the city's west side.

Police have focused on removing the graffiti. Neighbors say the area started looking cleaner. But recently, they say they've noticed even more.

While weeding out the graffiti has been challenging, police say seeding positive change hasn't.

Graffiti is everywhere on South Bend's west side, and nothing is off limits.

"Right now, we are cleaning it up; and within a week or two weeks, we have graffiti back on it," said Lt. Richard Powers, a South Bend Police officer who works with the Weed and Seed program.

The shed in Pulaski Park has been painted several dozen times.

"This is probably one of the highest percentage of graffiti seasons that started early in the year," said Powers.

He say police have found graffiti in more than 50 places this year -- including the garages behind some homes.

"Sick of it," said Isabelle Rice whose garage was hit last month. "Only a little bit of graffiti going away."

She wants someone held accountable.

"Catching these kids doing this stuff, doing the damage," said Rice.

But police are finding more kids are picking up paint brushes, not paint cans.

"This makes our job easier when we are seeing kids doing positive things around the neighborhood," said South Bend Police Chief Darryl Boykins.

Krista Matthys from Holy Family School, Kevin Robertson from Navarre Intermediate Center, Kayla Cano from Washington High School, Lanexcia Salazar from Navarre Intermediate Center, and Kayla Frenger from Washington High School were recognized for creating designs for new Weed and Seed billboards.

"They are getting recognized for their accomplishments rather than for doing something contrary to what we would like to see done," said St. Joseph County prosecutor Mike Dvorak.

Their message to fellow students: Stay in school.

"It's hard for kids today. They think a lot of times in the present. But we say you have to think about tomorrow because tomorrow is going to become today real soon," said Powers.

And tomorrow, these students may find themselves in college studying art, like two other winners before them.

"Those are the things I call little victories that work into tomorrow," said Powers.

The students won scholarships to attend art school this summer.

This summer, police will be working with volunteers from other local organizations to continue cleaning up the graffiti.