Group of friends Spartan Up by helping neighbor pick up dumped recycling bin.
Scott Lessard treats good samaritans to lunch.
On Wednesday, September 1st, Juniors Christian Ibarra, Martin Gonzalez-Romero, Ericka Garcia, and Andrew Hernandez helped a TJ neighbor, Lois, after her recycling bin was pushed over.
“I was just sitting down, drinking my coffee, and seeing students go back and forth like I do every day,” said Lois. “But then, out of nowhere, this guy pushed it [the recycling bin] over. The lid flew off, and papers spewed out everywhere. I think the guy who did it just felt as though he was too cool to do something about it.” Not only was Lois’s recycling in the bin, but neighbors also used Lois’s bin to recycle their materials, adding to the mess.
After the mess was created, Lois went outside and saw the four Spartan Juniors walking by her house. “I opened my door and asked if they could please help,” said Lois. “A few of them kept walking at first, but one of them went back and started putting papers back it. Then, the other three just started helping, too. It said a lot, and it made me feel great. I thank them very much.”
Garcia, one of the students, is very glad that she acted the way she did. “When the guys hit over the recycling bin, they didn’t even care, which surprised me,” said Garcia. “So me and my friends helped. It’s just how we feel, and it was just the nice thing to do.”
Garcia’s friend, Hernandez, feels similarly about his helping of the neighbor. “I’m really glad I did it, because stuff like that happens all the time,” said Hernandez. “I was annoyed that those kids would do something dumb like that, but it felt good to pick up their mess. In the future, if something like that happens and I’m around, I’ll help.”
After the incident, Lois called Assistant Principal Scott Lessard, informing him about the actions of the TJ students. “I had no idea [Lois] was that touched,” said Hernandez. “It made me feel great afterward.”
Upon hearing the news, Lessard decided to throw the four students a pizza-party due to their good consciences and exemplary school spirit. “I’m never surprised that teenagers do the right thing,” said Lessard. “So I thought they deserve something special because the thing they did had so much impact on the community.”
After receiving help from TJ students, Lois is gaining a vastly improved view of TJ. “I think it’s always important to focus on the good over the bad,” said Lois.
