By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Students at Alabaster’s Creek View Elementary School were quick to take up their principal’s challenge to help those in need at the beginning of the month, which later led to a messy situation on the school’s play field.

In early November, CVES Principal Brent Byars pledged to take a pie to the face each time a class collected 100 canned goods to donate to those in need during the holiday season.

Through the Doug Trotter Food Drive, which was held in honor of a former science teacher at Thompson Sixth Grade Center who died in 2012, each of Alabaster’s schools competed to collect the most cans to donate to the Salvation Army, Manna Ministries, the First Baptist Church of Alabaster and the Jimmie Hale Mission.

TSGS won the competition by collecting 4,000 cans, but CVES answered Byars’ call by bringing in 1,639 cans.

“We challenged each class to collect at least 100 cans, and if they reached 100 or more, they were able to choose an administrator to pie in the face,” Byars said.

All six classes to hit the 100-can mark picked Byars as their target.

“I am very proud of our students,” Byars said. “Each month we discuss a trait of a warrior and our trait for November is pride.

“I told the students how proud I am of them that they took pride in supporting needy families in our community by providing them with food for the upcoming holiday season,” Byars added.