WESTPHALIA — In her first year as Fatima’s high school principal, Somer Hinshaw is excited to engage students and hopefully, their parents, in a new program called “5 to Fly,” modeled on the successful initiative she developed while at School of the Osage.

“We are encouraging students to help keep our campus clean,” Hinshaw explained. “We do things throughout the year with a battle of the classes, and right now, this program is designed to get kids involved with making Fatima a more beautiful place.”

The outline is simple: a student is encouraged to dispose of five pieces of trash and submit a photo.

“That’s worth 10 points for their class,” said Hinshaw. “This is beyond traditional things like emptying a lunch tray. The idea is to be observant of the little things and act. I mean, if you see a piece of trash, pick it up and throw it away. If everyone does just a little bit, we’ll have a very clean campus.”

Hinshaw noted the program officially kicked off with Fatima’s home wrestling meet against North Callaway on Jan. 21. Since then, she said, students and staff members have submitted photos every day.

“I’m very happy to see such a quick and consistent response to the program,” said Hinshaw.

Points are highlighted on a bulletin board at the school, and each photo submitted to the school will be posted on social media.

“This is another way for classes to earn points toward the grand prize for the year,” Hinshaw noted. “We’ll have a passing-of-the-torch assembly at the end of the year, at which we’ll announce who won the battle of the classes. Students in the winning class will have a special spot in the trophy display case with their picture and class name on the Battle Winner plaque.”

Thus far, it appears the student body is engaging, but Hinshaw wants to take it to the next level, with parents joining the effort. “I hope we continue to get students to buy into the idea, and my goal is to see parents echo that,” she added. “If parents help with trash disposal in the community, it benefits everyone. Right now, it’s something we’re trying because I want to improve our school, but I think it can expand beyond our walls.”

Hinshaw also believes this could be a catalyst, but said the “5 to Fly” is just one small part of the bigger picture. “I think the Battle of the Classes pushes schools over the edge, in terms of changing the culture and improvement,” she explained.

Another goal Hinshaw wants to pursue is the formation of a student committee to collaborate and develop similar programs. “We have great students who see things that we as administrators don’t always catch,” she said. “I would like to tap into that knowledge. We may look at forming a parent committee to learn more ways to engage the community. I think we can develop something very special.”

Follow the battle on social media. Anyone with ideas on how to improve Fatima’s appearance or culture is encouraged to contact Hinshaw at hinshaws@fatimacomets.org.