The NHS (National Honor Society) adopted a section of Highway 1863 near Zaccaria Ranch and the Cibolo Creek area, and they held their first official cleanup on Dec. 6. They will continue to plan more cleanups throughout the year, finding new ways to give back to their community through this adoption.
In the past, the organization discussed adopting a highway, but it wasn’t until recently they could turn that idea into reality.
“Adopting a highway was an idea from last year, but it didn’t actually get put into action until now,” NHS president Zander Abolos said.
As a national organization, NHS looks for ways to involve their members in community events, many of which align with the group’s four pillars: scholarship, service, leadership and character.
“Two of our key concepts are service and leadership,” NHS adviser Mrs. Jennifer Fey said. “Leadership in that we adopted a highway, and service in that we are showing responsibility toward our community.”
During the initial cleanup, members saw firsthand why adopting a highway was necessary. Volunteers found significantly more litter along the highway than expected.
“When you’re driving by, you don’t really expect as much trash as we saw when we were cleaning up,” Abolos said.
For their first cleanup, 18 members arrived early at school before heading to their assigned section of Highway 1863. Students took precautions while cleaning and safely collecting litter and debris, leaving larger items for the Texas Department of Transportation to pick up at a later time.
“They made sure not to pick up every piece of trash, especially if it was close to the road because their lives are more important than a piece of trash,” Fey said.
The turnout allowed the group to cover the area efficiently, and the project is expected to continue as NHS’s long-term volunteer commitment, even after current members graduate.
“I’m impressed with how many people showed up,” Abolos said. “I actually didn’t expect that many.”
Future cleanups will focus on routine litter collection, as larger debris was already removed during the initial effort. NHS will continue making adjustments as needed, beginning with its next cleanup scheduled for March.
“When we do these things to give back to the community, it’s just a little piece where we can say ‘thank you,’ Fey said.
