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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Josh Slater, left, and Ryan Benko, parents at Gwin Elementary School, pick up hedge clippings as part of the 2022 Hoover City Dad Brigade back-to-school cleanup on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Shane Eaker, a parent at Spain Park High School, spreads mulch at a memorial for former students of the school who died at a young age, as part of the 2022 Hoover City Dad Brigade back-to-school cleanup on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
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Photo courtesy of Jon Monson
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Aldric Bennett, the eighth grade principal at Simmons Middle School, left, and physical education teacher and football coach Keyon Williams were among workers at the 2022 Hoover City Dad Brigade at Simmons Middle School in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 30 , 2022.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Brett Reach, a parent at Gwin Elementary School, spreads grass seed in front of the school as part of the 2022 Hoover City Dad Brigade back-to-school cleanup on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Josh Free, a parent at Gwin Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, trims bushes as part of the 2022 Hoover City Dad Brigade back-to-school cleanup on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Kyle Ary, a parent at Gwin Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, disposes of hedge clippings as part of the 2022 Hoover City Dad Brigade back-to-school cleanup on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Simmons Middle School parent Jeremy Read and his children, Pierce and Alice Read, clean up hedge clippings as part of the 2022 Hoover City Dad Brigade back-to-school cleanup on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Curt Posey, a Hoover councilman, and daughter Reagan Posey trim hedges at the football stadium at Simmons Middle School in Hoover, Alabama, as part of the 2022 Hoover City Dad Brigade back-to-school cleanup on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Kenny Amerson, a coach at Simmons Middle School in Hoover, Alabama, left, joins parents Stephen Creed and Carlos Rey in picking up hedge clippings as part of the 2022 Hoover City Dad Brigade back-to-school cleanup on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Janre Voytanovsky, a parent at Simmons Middle School in Hoover, Alabama, trims hedges by the school's football field as part of the 2022 Hoover City Dad Brigade back-to-school cleanup on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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New Simmons Middle School Principal Walter Womack cleans up hedge clippings as part of the 2022 Hoover City Dad Brigade back-to-school cleanup on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Emilio Cerice, left, and Simmons Middle School Principal Walter Womack clean up hedge clippings as part of the 2022 Hoover City Dad Brigade back-to-school cleanup on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Spain Park High School students Isaac Eaker, left, and Evan Houser spread pine straw in the parking lot in front of the school as part of the 2022 Hoover City Dad Brigade back-to-school cleanup on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Members of the Spain Park High School Gridiron Club help spread pine straw in the school parking lot as part of the 2022 Hoover City Dad Brigade back-to-school cleanup on Saturday, July 30, 2022. From left are Chris Battles, David Heath and John Lutenbacher.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Lance Huey, a member of the Spain Park High School Gridiron Club, helps clean up Jaguar Stadium on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Spain Park High School Gridiron Club President Blake Kendrick, left and club member Josh Sisk took part in a cleanup day at the school on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Members of the Spain Park High School Gridiron Club cut down these tree branches and brush from an area beside the school's football practice field curing a cleanup day at the school on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Undra' Billingsley, left and Kenny Todd, parents at Greystone Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, spread pine straw at the school as part of the 2022 Hoover City Dad Brigade back-to-school cleanup on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
At least 350 volunteers turned out for the 2022 Hoover City Dad Brigade back-to-school cleanup effort Saturday morning, organizer Derrick Murphy said.
The men and boys — and some women and girls — went to work helping clean up the exterior of 16 Hoover public schools, doing jobs such as spreading pine straw and mulch, trimming trees, bushes and hedges, pressure washing and picking up trash.
Gwin Elementary School Principal Kimberly White said she always appreciates the volunteers who come out to get her school looking better before students return. Each year, there’s a committed group of dads who show up to help, as well as dads who are new to the school, sometimes moms and other community members, she said.
“The Dad Brigade is a neat community builder and a great way to get our families involved in a very different and very meaningful way,” White said.
Gwin also had some people with no current ties to the school who donated things for the cleanup effort, such as water, Gatorade and hand sanitizer, she said.
The dozen or so dads who showed up at Gwin also planned to, if they had time, put together a gaga ball pit for the students for a game that is similar to dodgeball, cleanup captain Brett Reach said.
Reach, who has a wife teaching at Gwin and son attending there, said he’s been involved in the Dad Brigade for many years and enjoys helping out.
Michael Jones, a dad who volunteered to help at Greystone Elementary, said this is his third year to be part of the Dad Brigade. He lives right around the corner, so it’s easy to come and help.
There were only four dads who showed up at Greystone this morning, but they were working quickly to spread pine straw around the school.
Jones said that, while he hated working with pine straw growing up, he gets a lot of satisfaction in helping to make sure the children in his community have a nice-looking place to go to school.
At Spain Park High School, about a dozen volunteers showed up strictly for the Dad Brigade, but 21 parents and four students who showed up for a Spain Park Gridiron Club cleanup day joined in to help the Dad Brigade volunteers put pine straw around the school as well.
The Gridiron Club also trimmed low-lying branches and brush amid the trees near the football practice field, pressure washed around the Jaguar Stadium ticket gate and visitors’ locker room, removed old banners from fences, cleaned stadium bathrooms and the stands, and removed old aluminum track edging that had been lying beside the track for several years, club President Blake Kendrick said.
Shane Eaker, the Dad Brigade captain for Spain Park High and Berry Middle School, also made sure fresh mulch was put out around a memorial for Spain Park students who had died at an early age.
Across town at Simmons Middle School, new Principal Walter Womack joined more than a dozen volunteers in cleaning up at his school.
This is the eighth year for the Hoover City Dad Brigade.