Grime Fighters at L.A. High School

Rome, as the saying goes, was not built in a day, and the Roman Elites club of Los Angeles High School knows that it will take longer than that to clean up their school. But the students are determined to conquer graffiti and litter on and around their campus.

The service club, which uses the school’s nickname, the Romans, was formed in February under the direction of assistant principal Marcia Haskin.

The initial meeting drew eight students, but the club now has nearly 40 members, Haskin said.

The club has also joined forces with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority to become the first high school to participate in the authority’s graffiti abatement program.

The students have pledged to clean graffiti from bus shelters along the 30-31 Line that runs from Mid-City to East Los Angeles and Monterey Park. About 30 elementary and junior high schools, including 1st Street, 10th Street and Hoover elementary schools and Belvedere Junior High School, also participate in the program.

After the Roman Elites removed the graffiti from the school’s bathrooms, Jorge Correa, the club president, reminded members that their work had just begun. “Everything we do we have to keep doing it, otherwise we won’t see the results,” Correa said.

The club provides incentives such as candy bars and T-shirts to students who recycle soda cans and properly dispose of trash.

Correa said the club includes many of the school’s top academic achievers. “There are so many problems we realized that if we don’t do anything no one will do anything,” he said.

Los Angles Beautiful, an environmental and educational organization, recognized the group’s efforts and awarded the school a community pride flag this month.