A beautification project was held Saturday, April 23, at Todd Beamer High School as part of a “Pay it Forward” project. It was a great day to volunteer and approximately 20 Todd Beamer students, including nine delegate leaders; teacher and chaperone Mrs. Tiffany Christofferson; Business and Industry Principal Rex Tucker and his son; Pro Football Hall of Famer Floyd Little; and program creator DeBorah Little all showed up to pitch in. Project leader was Yusra Hamidani.
Click here to view a slideshow of photos from the event.
The student leaders provided light snacks and water to help keep everyone’s energy levels up. Mrs. Christofferson, Floyd and DeBorah Little, and Principal Tucker brought trash bags, gloves and tools to help make the clean-up easier. Lowe’s and Home Depot both donated $50 worth of supplies for the cleanup.
Here are a few statements from students who were asked why they came on Saturday and/or what they thought about their involvement:
• “It’s fun and I like the feeling of helping the environment. This event makes me want to look for more opportunities to clean up and make a positive difference. And I mean that from the heart.” —D’Ajah Johnson
• “It feels really good to make a difference. This is a stepping stone for bigger improvements and bigger projects.” — Clayton Regehr
• “I noticed this student was working extremely hard, so I asked him why he was working so hard. His reply: ‘Because that’s how I always work. I’m responsible for taking care of the yard at my house, so I’m used to this kind of work.’” — Everton Johnson
• “It’s really good to be here. The weather cooperated and I was excited even though it’s only a few students. The more we do the better it looks and we are making more friends being involved with this project.” — Oshian Coates and Jeesoo Chung
• “The flow is going really well. Just enough people came to make it comfortable and not awkward, and it’s coming together really well. It’s working out perfectly, we’re doing more work than we thought, so it’s perfect.” — Ares
• “I’m here to support my students for a good cause. My leadership class did this last year, so it’s good to see the work continue today. Only about 20 students showed up, but sometimes it’s better to work with less, because more students may have cluttered the area and made it more complicated.” — Mrs. Christofferson
• “Everyone of us is responsible for taking care of the Earth, so when I was asked to come today I was happy to. Now, when I watch these kids working and volunteering on a Saturday, and making a contribution to their school, I’m very glad I came. What we’ve done today may not be appreciated, but hopefully it will be noticed. Everyone can’t be a great painter, or a great writer or a great athlete. But everyone can be a great contributor.” — Floyd Little
Participating schools
The seven schools participating in this “Pay it Forward” program are Decatur High School, Federal Way High School, Thomas Jefferson High School, Todd Beamer High School, Federal Way Public Academy, Technology Access Foundation and Truman Career Academy.
