05/17/2026
On May 9, 2026 eight students from the Interact Club of South Pittsburg High School performed much-needed landscaping on the grounds of our fire station after we repainted it. Their names follow:
Cameron Rutledge aka “the Heavy Equipment Operator” Serenity Parrish aka “the Mixologist”
Katie Ables aka “the Precision Cutter”
Maddie Griffith aka “the Precision Measurer”
Demond Scales aka “the MVP” Conner Kilgore aka “the All-Around Team Mate”
Tre jones aka “the Quality Control Specialist”
Kinsley Baugh aka “the Project Manager”
with sponsors Elizabeth Mount and Mary Katherine Dawkins.
We have dubbed these fantastic young adults the “Great Eight” promptly arrived at 0900 on a Saturday morning prepared to work, and work they did. They were guided by Firemen Michael Martin and worked without break or mishap for three and a half hours.
The project had four stages as follows: Excavation, Application of Landscaping Fabric, Plants Installation (11 flowers and seven bushes in a 170 square foot flower bed), Mulching, and Cleanup.
Each stage of the project was demonstrated and explained to the team and they quickly executed each stage flawlessly. They converted a long untended landscape into a flower bed that will be the pride of our mountain community.
In addition to learning the landscaping tasks listed above, the “Great Eight” had an opportunity to engage in critical thinking, collaboration with their peers, accountability, and self-actualization.
It is my belief that each of these eight rising stars will have a fantastic future.
This project would not have been possible without the aid of the Marion County Rotarians, in particular the project sponsor, Ms. Louise Powell who generously donated $500 to the Interact Club and Mr. Jeff Robertson who was with the students throughout the day, helping them and providing guidance.
We are so very grateful for the community service of your students and look forward to hear more great things about South Pittsburg High School.
Walter Tucker
