Western Hills Cadets Clean Up Camp Bowie.

For a group of Western Hills High School AFJROTC cadets, Saturday morning started with trash bags, highway debris, and a couple of hours spent giving back to their community.

Cadets and family members spent two hours cleaning a large stretch of Camp Bowie Boulevard, from near Loop 820 toward I-30. The group stayed clear of the active construction area while collecting six full bags of trash, along with larger pieces of roadside debris that could not be bagged.

The cleanup included cadets Nemganga Muya, Mark Claivil, Julie Boley, Kunapherik Peng, Devonne Gould, Parker Hamilton, Addelyn Marquez, Triton Janicki, Alexis Vargas and Fermin Ramirez. Several family members also joined the effort.

For Muya, Peng, Hamilton and Gould, it was their second time serving the school and community in less than 24 hours. The four had been part of the Opening Color Guard at Western Hills’ home football game Friday night before returning Saturday morning for the cleanup.

The day also carried a family connection for Ramirez. His older brother, Ariel Ramirez, is a former Western Hills AFJROTC cadet now beginning his second year at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is part of the U.S. Air Force ROTC program.

The cadets plan to return for at least three more cleanups during the school year.

After a Saturday morning spent picking up Camp Bowie, they’re hoping Texas will provide slightly cooler weather for the next one.