BILLINGS — Students at Billings Senior High School spent the last year cleaning up neighborhoods around the campus to address the litter problem plaguing some streets. Now, the nonprofit Bright n’ Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, is recognizing Senior High students for their efforts.
“One irresistible effort stood out, Keep Senior Beautiful,” said Bright n’ Beautiful Executive Director Joanie Tooley.
Keep Senior Beautiful is a student-powered initiative that addresses litter problems on campus and in the surrounding neighborhood.
“We can get both get closer as a school community but also help our community,” said Senior High Student Council President Parker Friday.
Bright n’ Beautiful named this Senior High committee the recipient of its 2021 Community Star award.
“It’s really rewarding seeing all your hard work get paid off,” said Senior High Student Council Secretary Grace Carr.
Efforts to clean up the community came about after Senior High’s prom was canceled last year due to COVID-19. The Keep Senior Beautiful committee planned a COVID safe clean-up event that all Senior students could still participate in.
They have also been cleaning the grounds of Moss Mansion to ensure that the Billings landmark is litter-free.
“We helped rake out leaves and stuff like that. We got it nice and cleaned out for them,” Carr said.
Senior High isn’t done helping out the Billings community.
“We have set our date in April again for this year’s clean-up, so we’re excited to start planning that out,” Friday said.
Students are doing their best to keep the community clean with an initiative that will be around for years to come.
“It makes me happy that it’s kind of going to be the legacy for Keep Senior Beautiful,” said Friday.
