8th Graders Take Care of Local Roads Cleaning Up Garbage

8th Graders of Mrs. Romel’s Science class got down and dirty to help keep Alpena clean.

The students participated in a community service project and the Thunder Bay Junior High’s ‘Pride Program,’ which stands for: “Personal Responsibility of Our Community.”

 Mrs. Romel said it’s important to teach students to care about their community while they are young.

 “I think that it’s important for students to show their pride and ownership in whatever they do. For them to be able to experience how to give back to the community in such a small way of cleaning up an intersection I think that’s a sphere head for future engagements, and giving back,” Romel said.

Becoming inspired by her own hobby, Adopt a Highway; Mrs. Romel said doing service starts within your own home.

“Well you know it starts with pride in your own home, and outside your home. You just give you don’t have to ask to do something and so if you start from a very young age they feel that reward, that gratification that they’ve done something good. When students drive by that intersection they’re going to know that they helped clean it up and in the future they will take more pride in their community around their home and not have to have their parents ask them to do things, they will naturally do it,” Romel added.

Thunder Bay Junior High seems to stay very busy when it comes to community service. 6th Graders clean up the beach, and other students help maintain the local trails.