Early Wednesday morning, Sapulpa High School students in 9th through 12th grades left the High School and spread out amongst the community to give back as part of the first-ever Chieftain Community Service Day on July 7.
Armed with brooms and trash bags, the students sported yellow vests as they dispersed to their assigned destinations, including Bennett Steel, Heritage Park, Kelly Lane Park, Liberty Park, Sapulpa Golf Course, and Main Street in downtown Sapulpa. They did everything from simple landscaping and cleaning to pickup trash and sweeping sidewalks.
The Community Service Day is the second of three events this summer hosted by Sapulpa High School to help develop leadership skills amongst the student body. Chieftain Team Building Day was in early June. In August, the Chieftain Leadership Retreat will be held at New Life Ranch in Colcord, Okla.
Divided mostly by sporting teams, the students could be found working and sweating in the morning July heat within minutes of leaving the campus. Despite the rising temperatures, they were all smiles.
“It’s nice to give back to the community and take care of the environment,” said Makayla Littlebear, one of the Sapulpa softball players assigned to Liberty Park. The group had been there for only a little over thirty minutes, but already had their bags half full from picking up litter at the park. The difference was noticable.
The effort is something that Sapulpa Athletic Director Michael Rose says is a great way to repay the community that has supported the school’s programs for so long. “It’s important to teach students the act of kindness, benevolence,” Rose said. “The level of support our schools receive from the community is amazing and the Community Service Day is a way for us to show our appreciation and to help give back.”
