10,000 water bottles given to students

JACKSON, Tenn. – Local students got to meet some community leaders for a special cause. 

Pope Elementary students are the first of many to receive a special gift that serves as a daily reminder in our community.

“I think they were very excited. We had an assembly for our fourth and our sixth grade today. And they were surprised, I believe, to see just the people who came out in support of them today. And we had a nice assembly in which the children were given their water bottles,” said Tracey Vowell, the Principal of Pope School.

There were 10,000 water bottles gifted from a grant from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office as a way to hydrate and educate students on litter. 

Those in attendance included members of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson-Madison County School System staff, and Mayor AJ Massey. 

“Hopefully, they will learn a little bit about what literally is, you know, where trash belongs, and certainly not throwing them out in the car window as you’re going, you know, down the road. So we’re hoping that will be a little bit of an education experience for them. And so we can teach our younger generations what’s right and what’s wrong as far as litters is concerned,” said Madison County Commissioner Jeff Wall. 

During the assembly, students heard some jaw-dropping statistics.

“How much litter we’ve actually picked up. And when I say we, it’s just the litter crew that is under the direction of Sheriff Julian Wiser. It’s not anything else. It’s just that particular litter crew. They were able to pick up over 100,000 pounds of trash just in Madison County over the last year,” Wall said. 

And one of the ending remarks brought the message close to home.

“I really liked the fact that Dr. Catlett ended what he had to say, by challenging and charging our children to keep our own school campus clean. And I think that carries over to their community,” Vowell said.

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