In the spirit of graduation season, our editorial team wants to celebrate Isle of Palms families whose children recently graduated from any level of schooling. We decided to send out a questionnaire to receive feedback from our new grads on the island. The following announcement was done in the style of a yearbook to serve as a nostalgic keepsake to look back on years later. We hope you cherish these memories as much as we did stitching them together! Name: Sophia Malan Graduating school: Oceanside Collegiate Academy Island hobbies: You can find me at the beach with my friends, cruising around in the golf cart or working at the Just Beachy store on the island. Favorite part about Island Vibes: I enjoy reading up on the People & Pets section. Litter is high on the list of things that get my dander up. I wonder, dear reader, what can be done? How can we stop this treachery? How can we put an end to the disparaging of our Mother Earth — her air, her water, her beaches? There is one spot on our fair isle where bits of trash gather, mingle if you will, in a vortex of spiraling pieces of improperly discarded remnants. Near the Red & White, or the Harris Teeter for those of you keeping tabs on changes, between The Refuge and the laundromat, lies a certain curvature wherein refuse congregates habitually. As the wind blows, this trash, this litter, swirls in no particular pattern or purpose. It is upsetting and at times quite maddening. Just the other night I could barely finish my fish and chips for the distraction provided by said vortex of litter. Sadly, while this vortex is the most notable of our improperly discarded trash collections, it is not the only Name: Kimberlyn Naylor Graduating school: Sullivan’s Island Elementary School Island hobbies: Swim team, theater, ballet, surfing, biking, pickleball, tennis, shark tooth hunting, SNL youth group and kayaking the Intracoastal Waterway. Favorite part about Island Vibes: As one of the Island Vibes Kids’ Corner reporters, I love reading all about the local activities and events that my friends and neighbors are doing. Island Raised Congrats, new grads! TO BE FRANK, NOBODY LIKES LITTER BUGS -FRANK PEOPLE & PETS 26 IslandVibesIOP.com problematic litter location. Debris, both minuscule and sizable, pollutes nearly every part of our island. From straw wrappers to receipts, to (gasp) dog waste, to plastic bags and (double gasp) cigarette butts, it seems many of our tourists and locals alike have forgotten basic civility when it comes to the disposing of waste. It is an issue of catastrophic proportions. It is disheartening, at best. Proper yellow trash cans adorn every beach access path. City wide, trash and recycling bins are plentiful and are never more than a few steps in any given direction; certainly, well within reach for even the weariest among us. Back to the original question, the conundrum of litter and the havoc it wreaks – what can be done? It’s rather simple, really. Pick it up. Throw it out. Don’t merely drop it to the ground like some barbarian. We are a civilized community. Please try and remember that the ground we traverse is not your own personal garbage receptacle. We can do better. We should do better. Indeed, we must do better. Congratulations on all your recent accomplishments and we wish you success in your future endeavors. Enjoy the journey, never stop learning and spread positive vibes wherever you go. Cheers! Keep vibing, The team at Island Vibes Editor’s Note: Island Raised is a monthly series celebrating Isle of Palms families doing big things on and off the island. To share your most recent life accomplishment, contact Editor@IslandVibesIOP.com.
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