Students asked to help Pick Up Pike

Students and staff from Pike County Middle and High Schools will be joining the Pick-Up Pike (PUP) organization to help clean litter from the roadways of Pike County, with a special emphasis on those that will serve as the route for the annual Tour de Pike. ’On Saturday, March 19, hundreds of riders from across the southeast will don their helmets and climb aboard their bikes for the annual Tour de Pike, traveling a variety of beautiful routes across the county,’ said PCHS principal Mike Maddox. ‘This initiative’s intent, aside from restoring the natural beauty of our area, is to encourage young and old alike to develop good habits that make the world a better place to live, starting right here at home. There are people who will continue to toss trash onto our roadways because they just don’t get it. But I am certain that there are many more who refuse to live in the resulting mess and will do something about it.’ Volunteers from the middle and high schools will do their part on the morning of Saturday, March 5 by cleaning a four-mile portion of the bike route on Chapman Road. Students from the primary and elementary schools have been encouraged to work closer to their own homes, developing habits of community service and stewardship.’We would like to challenge all citizens to join us in Pick Up Pike’s initiative to clean our roadways,’ said principal Maddox. ‘We’ve created a large map that shows the three routes of the Tour de Pike ride. It is on display at the County Commissioner’s Office on the square in Zebulon. Citizens, including church groups, businesses, and families are encouraged to visit the map and mark the roadways that they will commit to cleaning. We hope to make this a semi-annual event, with clean-ups in the spring and fall.’