WESTPHALIA — Fatima senior Heidi Struemph grew tired of seeing trash and litter in the school’s parking lot last year and decided to do something about it. Though she couldn’t get things organized in time to make a change as the school year came to an end, Struemph did not give up on her drive to clean up the area, and this year, she founded the Fatima Nature Club.

“Our main cause is to beautify the school, and keep it litter-free,” said Struemph, noting that more than 20 students joined the club at its inaugural meeting. “I was driving to a TREND-SADD event and saw people in front of us throwing trash out the window, which infuriated me.”

At the first meeting, Struemph was elected president, and will serve with VP Addy Post, Secretary/Treasurer Maggie Kloeppel, Social Media Coordinator Cali Kampeter, and Student Council Representative Journey Markway. The club is sponsored by Fatima Librarian Sharon Breese.

“Heidi is full of ideas and the energy to get things done,” said Breese. “I admire what the club is trying to do.”

Club members gathered to clean up the Fatima parking lot on the second Sunday of October. That plan will continue, with clean-ups to be held on the second Sunday of each month.

“Hopefully, next time, we’re gonna do more around town,” said Struemph, noting the hope is to conduct projects in other communities within the Fatima district. “We could rotate each month and help clean up different towns.”

Restoration is only one part of the club’s purpose; the other is rejuvenation.

“They covered up our old skylights when they built the new school,” said Struemph. “We had natural lighting, and there was the courtyard, where kids could go if they wanted. The new school doesn’t have that.”

Struemph noted that club members found pallets during the campus clean-up, and she has ideas. “I’d like to fix them up and maybe turn them into benches or plant strands,” she said. “I thought it would be awesome if we could get some grass or plant something in the rock floor bed near the new part of the school. Then I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, we can have a nature club!’”

Struemph and the club plan to plant flowers around the track and other areas of the school.

Her vision follows “Let it go, let it grow,” the song from The Lorax, as the club’s theme. “We’re gonna put little plants in water bottles and hang them from the windows, and everyone can kind of watch them grow,” said Struemph. “I want everyone to appreciate nature as much as possible by doing things like going outside. It’s recommended that we get 30 minutes a day in the sun.”

She plans to hang a bulletin board to showcase nature. “Whether you’re in the nature club or not, anything beautiful you see in nature, like a sunset, an animal, plant, whatever, take a picture, and we’ll print it and put it on the board,” said Struemph. “I want students to walk by and see the beauty of nature.”

Struemph would also like to see picnic tables so students could eat lunch outside.

The Fatima Nature Club is not just for high school students.

“We want to do stuff the younger kids might like,” said Struemph. “We might do a scavenger hunt in the spring. I really want kids to know the different types of plants, trees, and what an acorn is. Right now, we’re going to focus on reusing things and trash pick-up. We’ll plant things, but then we’re going to prepare for what we’re doing next semester.”

As the club gains momentum, Struemph hopes to build a long-lasting service to the community. “My biggest thing is I really hope this club doesn’t die,” she said. “I really hope that once I leave, others will keep it going.”

Follow Fatima Nature Club on Instagram for updates.