Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Southside High School’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AL961) was one of the state winners of the 2024 Alabama PALS (People Against A Littered State) Governor’s Awards were  announced and recognized at the Alabama PALS Governor’s Awards Program, which was held on Nov. 12, at the Renaissance Hotel in Montgomery.

Southside’s ROTC program received an award recognizing their cleanup efforts as they participate in the Adopt-A-Mile program.

Col. Brook Rollins, ROTC instructor at Southside, said for over a decade, cadets have conducted a sweep of County Roads 69 and 465, which made the cadets more visible in the rural community surrounding the school campus.

“This resulted in our cadets adopting this service activity as part of their overall school year goals, and they routinely perform the services on a quarterly basis,” Rollins said. “These activities — Adopt-a-Mile and clean campus — also take the place of our required physical training that is part of the Air Force junior ROTC curriculum. We have them perform stretching exercises before beginning their one-mile walk and allow them to cool down following their sweep. This program reinforces one of the Air Force core values that is taught in Air Force junior ROTC — service before self.”

Several of the cadets attended the annual awards luncheon sponsored by Alabama PALS, which recognizes groups, cities, counties and individuals that demonstrate outstanding commitment in the areas of litter control, recycling, local and statewide cleanup efforts, environmental education and volunteerism.

“These efforts are providing a valuable service by example for our school and our rural Southside Black Belt community,” Rollins said. “It instills a special brand of civic pride of community ownership with our cadets and has been recognized by local elected officials. This is one labor of love we hope to continue well into the foreseeable future.”