By Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



Students across north Jefferson County will celebrate their faith on Wednesday.

The celebration won’t necessarily happen within school walls, but instead around flag poles in honor of See You at the Pole Day. The Texas-based movement was founded in 1990 as a means for students to pray for their campus, faculty and fellow students.

More than 2 million students take part in the observance annually, according to the See You at the Pole Web site.

Snow Rogers Elementary School Principal Karen White said the observance has been a long-standing tradition at her school. Students at the school will meet on Wednesday at 7:45 a.m. at the flag pole.

“We offer it to everybody and we let kids have the choice to go to the lunch room for breakfast or go out to the flag pole,” she said. “We usually have about half the children that do participate.”

Students who take part in See You at the Pole ceremonies Wednesday morning can also attend a rally that evening at ChristWay Church of God on Mt. Olive Road in Gardendale.

The rally is being organized by the ministry group First Priority, which is a network of churches, business leaders and individuals who come together as one to reach schools for Christ, according to north Jefferson-area director Donnie Rhodes.

“We’re (First Priority) not trying to get students for ourselves,” he said. “Every student is connected to a church, so our whole ministry begins and ends with the church.”

Wednesday night’s rally will be the third First Priority-sponsored rally at ChristWay. Rhodes said about 1,100 people attended last year’s event.

“These rallies are used to celebrate what happened on campus that morning,” he said. “It’s a thrill just knowing that these students have come together as one, dropped all denominational boundaries and believe that Jesus is the way to change their campuses.”

Rhodes said anyone is invited to attend the event, which will last from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the church. Praise and worship band Cleveland will provide entertainment and Rhodes will close the ceremony will a brief message.

For more information on First Priority, visit www.gofirstpriority.com. For more information on See You at the Pole, visit syatp.com.