By By Janet Little Cooper
More than 20 high school students from Atmore Christian School traded their pencil and paper for trash bags and gloves Friday to do their part in the citywide anti-litter campaign.
School administrator, Tim Battles was looking for a service project for the high schoolers when he contacted executive director of the Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce Emilie Mims.
Mims shared with Battles about the anti-litter campaign, a service project of the Atmore Leadership Class of 2006. Atmore Christian students were ready to jump in.
The group worked to rid Highway 31 from their school to the Atmore Country Club of unsightly garbage.
"It took us longer than we expected because the city had mowed the grass and newspapers and other trash was chopped up in it," high school student Alex Meacham said. "I have a new appreciation for people who are responsible for cleaning our roadways. I am more aware of the littering problem after doing this."
The students realized what an ongoing problem the litter is and have decided to continue their trash pick up day doing it every four months.
"We did this to help out in our community," student Ashley Schmidt said. "I think that people could do better by not throwing the garbage out in the first place."
Another student, Ashley Odom, who participated in Friday's pick up said that she is paying more attention to the litter problem in town after working to clean up Highway 31.
"I think what we did was a good demonstration of a Christian character that will hopefully encourage other people to take pride and not be a part of the problem by not littering. Hopefully others will become aware as well."