Students can make a difference while earning graduation credits

LITTLE ROCK — Soon, high school seniors from across Arkansas will don their caps and gowns and cross a stage to receive their diplomas. It’s the moment they began working toward ever since kindergarten or earlier.
But for future seniors, those scheduled for graduation following the 2026–2027 school year, there’s a new requirement to meet and Keep Arkansas Beautiful can help.
Arkansas LEARNS, which is Act 237 of 2023, requires students to complete a minimum of 75 hours of documented community service before graduation. Activities include opportunities where students can help to enhance or contribute to their local communities.
Keep Arkansas Beautiful offers many options for students that contribute to conservation efforts, ecological restoration and litter cleanup. Here are a few ideas that are easy to implement yet are effective and impactful.
Twice a year, Keep Arkansas Beautiful sponsors seasonal cleanups – the Great Arkansas Cleanup in the fall and the Great American Cleanup in the spring. Students can organize groups to help pick up litter in their towns. The best part? Keep Arkansas Beautiful provides volunteer kits at no cost, which include T-shirts, trash bags, gloves and safety vests.
Students can also make a difference by improving public parks and school playgrounds. Whether it’s picking up litter, planting trees or giving a coat of paint to a weathered park bench, small actions can have a big impact on the environment.

On their campuses, students can promote a composting system within their school cafeterias. Composting offers significant environmental value by reducing landfill waste, promoting healthy plant growth while also reducing the need for chemical-based fertilizers and pesticides.
Finally, Earth Day, which is April 22, presents the perfect opportunity for students to be involved in something bigger than themselves and join a worldwide movement to make our world a better place through conservation, beautification and restoration.
The students of today will become the leaders of tomorrow, and it’s important to start young people on a path to a lifelong commitment to making their communities a better place for everyone to live, learn, play and work.
Students should seek approval from their schools to ensure their community service hours count toward graduation credits.
For more information on how students can get involved with Keep Arkansas Beautiful, visit keeparkansasbeautiful.com/service-learning.