The anti-litter education program that Anette Kirylo, former Executive Director of the Louisiana Children’s Discovery Center, began with the help of faculty and students is being reinstated. In early 2015, Tangipahoa Parish in league with public schools, the university and the Discovery Center, initiated the anti-litter awareness program for schools.

Dr. Christopher Beachy, the head of the department of biological sciences, was contacted by Kirylo, and assisted her in her program. He described Kirylo as the driving force behind the program. 

“She worked really hard,” said Beachy. “She was a ball of energy. That place looks good now because of her.” 

The university was involved as its biology department assisted the program. Beachy stated that Kirylo spoke to him about volunteers.

“She had built this litter education program,” said Beachy. “It looked pretty neat. She called me out of the blue or sent me an email saying ‘You might be able to give us some volunteers.’ I said ‘How many do you need?”’

A group of graduate students chose to volunteer a presentation at the Discovery Center. Beachy admitted that he asked his classes to help, and provided them with an alternative exam for motivation. 

“I took my graduate class and I said ‘Guys I don’t like to force any of you to do anything. But hey, I’ve got an idea,’” said Beachy. “‘If you guys want to skip the exam and take your grade as is, you can if you do this program.’ So, a bunch of graduate students showed up to help her. It was a lot of kids, and it was that program. They’re graduate students, and I know they liked it. And that was all I ever heard about it. It looked really awesome, and it reached out to a bunch of schools.”

When Anette Kirylo and her husband, Dr. James Kirylo, a former education professor and faculty senate president, parted ways with the university, the program was left unattended. Now Tangipahoa Parish Councilman Trent Forrest wants to revive the program.  

According to the education director at the Discovery Center Carolyn Schwebel, the program will begin in late February. The program was restarted by the Discovery Center reaching out to the Tangipahoa parish public schools, and inviting them to take a school field trip. The field trips would include a presentation by volunteers about litter awareness. The schools that are unable to go to the Discovery Center have had an invitation extended to them for the Discovery Center to bring the presentation to them. Schwebel admitted that they are still waiting on a response from the schools that were contacted. If any students are interested in volunteering or helping the program out, they are invited to contact the Discovery Center. 

“We would love for them to be a part of this,” said Schwebel.