City holds See You at the Pole event

By Staff
Melissa Cason, Franklin County Times
Hundreds of local students and parents participated in the nationwide See You at the Pole prayer service at Russellville Elementary, Middle and High schools.
Parent Nicole Bendall said that 100 students and parents gathered at Russellville Elementary Wednesday morning to spend a few minutes in prayer at the flagpole.
"We prayed for our leaders, and our school administration," Bendall said.
Russellville Middle School reported more than 200 in attendance at Wednesday's festivities, while Russellville High School recorded 160 in attendance for the service.
Breakfast was served at each of the events prior to the beginning of the services.
"The students passed out the flyers notifing other students and parents about the event," Bendall said.
See You at the Pole is a nationwide, student-initated movement of prayer that revolves around students praying together. It involves students in elementary, middle, and high schools as well as colleges and universities. According to the website, the national See You at the Pole began in 1990.
Russellville First Baptist Youth Pastor Richard Parker said that RHS has been participating in the event since 1993. In 2000, RMS jumped on board with a separate payer event, and RES began meeting at the pole in 2005.
"We had 40 students our first year, and went to 60 our second year," Bendall said. "We expect the numbers to grow every year."