13-Years-Old Girl Gets Juice Thrown At Her Face, Punched And Even Shown A Knife By Schoolmates Only For Picking Up Litter
Meet Nadia Sparks, a 13-year-old student from Norwich, England, who took on the noble task of picking up trash on her way to school every day to help make the world a better place. Since she started her project, she has picked up over 1100 liters of garbage, much of which has been recycled, and she has inspired countless others to start doing the same.
Image credits: teamtrashgirl
Nadia is exactly the kind of person we need more of, someone who cares about her community and the Earth that we all share. However, bullies at her school saw her positive behavior as something to use against her, and started taunting her with the name ‘trash girl.’
Image credits: teamtrashgirl
Undeterred, Nadia turned the bullying on its head by embracing the term, which she said made her sound “like a superhero.” She continued with her cleaning crusade and started up the ‘Team Trash Girl‘ Facebook page, where she encourages others to post their own litter-picking stories.
“I wanted to find a way to help everyone support one another, to help fix the planet’s problems before it becomes unfixable,” she writes. “So, please try to pick up 3 pieces of litter today. Show us what you have found. Let’s all support each other to make the world a better place.”
Image credits: teamtrashgirl
Image credits: teamtrashgirl
After her story first went viral in 2018, Nadia became an ambassador for the wildlife charity WWF and has won international recognition and awards. She was even immortalized in cartoon form, and, being a keen artist herself, is also publishing her own environment-themed cartoon in a local newspaper.
Image credits: teamtrashgirl
Image credits: creativenation
But her bullies didn’t let up. If anything, the attention that Nadia was getting only seemed to fuel their jealousy and bitterness. Nadia had cups of orange juice thrown at her, she was shown a knife and even punched, leading to police eventually getting involved and Nadia having to change schools.
Image credits: TeamTrashGirl/Facebook
Now at a new school, Reepham High, Nadia has a perfect teacher in Matt Willer, who she first met when they were both nominated for an eco hero award.
Mr Willer, who runs an allotment project, told the BBC: “I’d heard of the amazing work she was doing collecting rubbish and how, very sadly, she was being bullied because she was doing something different.”
“This hit a nerve with me and we discussed how Nadia might like to come and have a look at Reepham High.”
Image credits: RHS
Mr. Willer said the teenager would be a “huge asset” to the allotment project.
“All the volunteers look forward to working with her as we all set a sound example about respecting the environment and living more sustainably.”
Nadia’s old school, Hellesdon High, said students’ safety and welfare was of paramount importance. “We promote an ethos that reflects high moral standards, a culture of social responsibility and fosters a safe learning environment for all students. All students are respected and their individuality is valued,” Hellesdon principal Tom Rolfe said.
Image credits: Bill Smith
But Paula Sparkes, Nadia’s mom, said her daughter was not supported at Hellesdon High. “The staff were not on her side to help and support her and we felt it was not appropriate for her to be there any more,” she said.
Image credits: theoutdoorguide
Image credits: theoutdoorguide
Nadia continues to go from strength to strength under her moniker of ‘Trash Girl,’ a name that was designed to taunt her but now brings her so much pride and determination. Her fans regularly upload their own pics of themselves cleaning up Britain on her Facebook page, some of which you can see below.
Image credits: theoutdoorguide
Image credits: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJxsKXJ8moIcsxJOtzxJovg
What do you think? Would you do your bit by picking up 3 pieces of litter every day? Scroll down below to see others at work, and let us know what you think in the comments!
Image credits: TeamTrashGirl/Facebook
Image credits: TeamTrashGirl/Facebook
Image credits: TeamTrashGirl/Facebook
Image credits: TeamTrashGirl/Facebook
Image credits: TeamTrashGirl/Facebook
Here’s what people had to say
Looking for more inspiration? Check out a video about the biggest cleanup project in the world
Apparently at Nadia’s old school, Hellesdon High, Hellesdon principal Tom Rolfe said students’ safety and welfare was of paramount importance. “We promote an ethos that reflects high moral standards, a culture of social responsibility and fosters a safe learning environment for all students. All students are respected and their individuality is valued,” is complete b******t. Sounds like he did absolutely nothing to discourage the bullying and he should be fired for his lack of control over the students at his school.
It does seem a little odd that the person who "had" to leave the school was the harrassed, not the harrasser.
Load More Replies...Here's an idea Hellesdon High...kick the bullies out. If they aren't going to behave themselves in school as kids, what makes you think they are going to behave themselves in the real world as adults? Why waste a perfectly good education on someone who apparently can't seem to get with the program? She should be praised, they should be punished andTom Rolfe should be fired.
All hail Trash Girl! Bright blessings on her - and a thousand poxes on the knuckle-dragging orcs that harassed her. They have neither hearts nor souls, and clearly don't give a rat's a**e about our planet. I need to remember to carry a bag with me so I can pick up trash myself.
As Shakespeare said, "A plague o' [all] their houses!"
Load More Replies...Great to see this happening, but sad we live in a time when someone is bullied for trying to make the world a better place.
In Sweden, you could recycle all of that into money. We have a recycling system for bottles and cans. You pay a recycling fee when you buy your soda or beer, and get the money back when you return to the store and put it in a recycling machine.
We've had it for decades. That's why you never see cans or bottles in the streets or in parks. We recycle pretty much everything – all households have recycling stations where we separate plastics, paper, cardboard, coloured glass and clear glass, metal. It works. No hassle, you get used to it right away. We even import trash from other countries.
Load More Replies...Imagine how much cleaner the world would be if everyone that was able to did this!! 🙏✌🌈
They should have forced the bullies to change schools by expelling them. Making her move sends the wrong signal to kids that will one day run their country.
I used to collect discarded drinks cans with my family, we took them to be recycled and earned £10 per sack which was a lot more money around 1991/2 than it is now. bullying is horrible, I was bullied badly and haven't gotten fully over it yet, at 34! My school was also useless and I ended up being educated at home. But ultimately, the bullies aren't bad ppl really, they are usually being mistreated at home or something like that.
well done girl..I do that every time that i feel like I have too.. I don't f*****g care abput other's people opinion . People are so stupid .. Adn the bully behavior it's because their parents education .. So we have a big trouble .
That's the problem these days, try and do something good and get bullied for it.
Id k why kids are bullied so much in England. My friends son had to change schools twice and he was the victim! I hope you don't let these b******e kids dampen your sweet nature. They will grow up ugly and you will be a beautiful person.
Wow..really? Punched for picking up trash, being bullied for cleaning up after others? Seriously people..this is disgusting. I HATE people for s**t like this. Here we have an innocent young woman doing something selfless to help the environment and shes being picked on for it. It should be the other way around. For every person who throws something outside of a trashcan should get a smack up the back of the head and forced to pick it up along with all the other trash in the area. Keep doing what your doing Nadia, I'm glad to see the ignorance of others hasnt slowed you down any. Your doing something wonderful and I'm glad you are helping.
It should've been the bullies who had to change schools as a result of their behaviours so every day regardless of how easy or not it is to get to their new school, they'd have to face the reality that they're there because of what they did to someone else.
Incredible girl! Those bullies have nothing good in their lives if that's the way they treat others. more a reflection on themselves than anything else. Keep on doing what you're doing, the world needs more Trash girls!
I love Trash Girl and everyone who stands with her! I've been picking up trash all my life, and recycling since that came about, too. We can make a difference with our small actions that can really add up!
My great grandfather is responsible for Oregon's bottle bill, and with all those bottles you could make a decent amount of cash since it's now 10¢
While it seems that Nadia found a better environment to continue her good works at her new school, I'm a little bemused by the apparent fact that the children who were bullying her weren't reprimanded or otherwise disciplined in any way.
Damn, do I wish I had her confidence. I got called "ugly" a few weeks ago, and I'm still not over it..
Nadia's story is a fantastic and inspiring example of courage, resilience and dedication. In spite of the bullies, she created something awesome that has become national, and the story of her encounter with Mr Willer and her move to a new, better school , is proof that it pays to keep faith in a project you know to be good. I salute her!
Five years from now, when they're a little older, those same bullies will be asking her for a date.
Those bullies are just jealous because they are too stupid and lazy to make a difference. I really admire what you are doing, Nadia. One of my pet hates is littering and you are a hero! Everyone should follow your example, imagine what a better place the world would be!!
... and then we wonder why bullying is of the utmost importance among adolescents and younger ...
It's f*****g disgusting that she even finds so much trash to pick up in the first place. Only pieces of s**t litter
What is wrong with these kids that bullied her? Or, more accurately, what is wrong with the people they spend time with that affected them and mede them think that way? I would not point fingers at just the other kids, although they are most definitely at fault, but I will accuse the adults in their life as well. For young adults and kids, the ideals of people they spend extended amounts of time with can easily be implanted in their heads. Children are extremely impressionable. With that being said, I love this girl. She's my age and already making as much of a difference as she can while still being sefless and brave. Applause!
Wow, awesome. Can we clone some more Nadias? I love that she has a fantastic teacher now, teachers were a huge influence in my life. Thank you, Nadia!
So let me get this right, she was bullied because she liked to clean up trash? Are kids that pathetic these days? We are even bullied for doing good? Parents please teach your kids to be kind. This kind of behavior is going to make the future harder for all of us.
Bullied so bad that police involved and changed schools. So let’s post the new school so those who hate her know where to find her
I feel like this was an unnecessary and unrelated bash on a religious group... Yeah, some Christians are bad, don't get me wrong, but it's the same with every religion and most of the mean, rude, harmful, violent, etc Christians are not representative of the religion itself.. Just saying this seemed unnecessary.
Load More Replies...Apparently at Nadia’s old school, Hellesdon High, Hellesdon principal Tom Rolfe said students’ safety and welfare was of paramount importance. “We promote an ethos that reflects high moral standards, a culture of social responsibility and fosters a safe learning environment for all students. All students are respected and their individuality is valued,” is complete b******t. Sounds like he did absolutely nothing to discourage the bullying and he should be fired for his lack of control over the students at his school.
It does seem a little odd that the person who "had" to leave the school was the harrassed, not the harrasser.
Load More Replies...Here's an idea Hellesdon High...kick the bullies out. If they aren't going to behave themselves in school as kids, what makes you think they are going to behave themselves in the real world as adults? Why waste a perfectly good education on someone who apparently can't seem to get with the program? She should be praised, they should be punished andTom Rolfe should be fired.
All hail Trash Girl! Bright blessings on her - and a thousand poxes on the knuckle-dragging orcs that harassed her. They have neither hearts nor souls, and clearly don't give a rat's a**e about our planet. I need to remember to carry a bag with me so I can pick up trash myself.
As Shakespeare said, "A plague o' [all] their houses!"
Load More Replies...Great to see this happening, but sad we live in a time when someone is bullied for trying to make the world a better place.
In Sweden, you could recycle all of that into money. We have a recycling system for bottles and cans. You pay a recycling fee when you buy your soda or beer, and get the money back when you return to the store and put it in a recycling machine.
We've had it for decades. That's why you never see cans or bottles in the streets or in parks. We recycle pretty much everything – all households have recycling stations where we separate plastics, paper, cardboard, coloured glass and clear glass, metal. It works. No hassle, you get used to it right away. We even import trash from other countries.
Load More Replies...Imagine how much cleaner the world would be if everyone that was able to did this!! 🙏✌🌈
They should have forced the bullies to change schools by expelling them. Making her move sends the wrong signal to kids that will one day run their country.
I used to collect discarded drinks cans with my family, we took them to be recycled and earned £10 per sack which was a lot more money around 1991/2 than it is now. bullying is horrible, I was bullied badly and haven't gotten fully over it yet, at 34! My school was also useless and I ended up being educated at home. But ultimately, the bullies aren't bad ppl really, they are usually being mistreated at home or something like that.
well done girl..I do that every time that i feel like I have too.. I don't f*****g care abput other's people opinion . People are so stupid .. Adn the bully behavior it's because their parents education .. So we have a big trouble .
That's the problem these days, try and do something good and get bullied for it.
Id k why kids are bullied so much in England. My friends son had to change schools twice and he was the victim! I hope you don't let these b******e kids dampen your sweet nature. They will grow up ugly and you will be a beautiful person.
Wow..really? Punched for picking up trash, being bullied for cleaning up after others? Seriously people..this is disgusting. I HATE people for s**t like this. Here we have an innocent young woman doing something selfless to help the environment and shes being picked on for it. It should be the other way around. For every person who throws something outside of a trashcan should get a smack up the back of the head and forced to pick it up along with all the other trash in the area. Keep doing what your doing Nadia, I'm glad to see the ignorance of others hasnt slowed you down any. Your doing something wonderful and I'm glad you are helping.
It should've been the bullies who had to change schools as a result of their behaviours so every day regardless of how easy or not it is to get to their new school, they'd have to face the reality that they're there because of what they did to someone else.
Incredible girl! Those bullies have nothing good in their lives if that's the way they treat others. more a reflection on themselves than anything else. Keep on doing what you're doing, the world needs more Trash girls!
I love Trash Girl and everyone who stands with her! I've been picking up trash all my life, and recycling since that came about, too. We can make a difference with our small actions that can really add up!
My great grandfather is responsible for Oregon's bottle bill, and with all those bottles you could make a decent amount of cash since it's now 10¢
While it seems that Nadia found a better environment to continue her good works at her new school, I'm a little bemused by the apparent fact that the children who were bullying her weren't reprimanded or otherwise disciplined in any way.
Damn, do I wish I had her confidence. I got called "ugly" a few weeks ago, and I'm still not over it..
Nadia's story is a fantastic and inspiring example of courage, resilience and dedication. In spite of the bullies, she created something awesome that has become national, and the story of her encounter with Mr Willer and her move to a new, better school , is proof that it pays to keep faith in a project you know to be good. I salute her!
Five years from now, when they're a little older, those same bullies will be asking her for a date.
Those bullies are just jealous because they are too stupid and lazy to make a difference. I really admire what you are doing, Nadia. One of my pet hates is littering and you are a hero! Everyone should follow your example, imagine what a better place the world would be!!
... and then we wonder why bullying is of the utmost importance among adolescents and younger ...
It's f*****g disgusting that she even finds so much trash to pick up in the first place. Only pieces of s**t litter
What is wrong with these kids that bullied her? Or, more accurately, what is wrong with the people they spend time with that affected them and mede them think that way? I would not point fingers at just the other kids, although they are most definitely at fault, but I will accuse the adults in their life as well. For young adults and kids, the ideals of people they spend extended amounts of time with can easily be implanted in their heads. Children are extremely impressionable. With that being said, I love this girl. She's my age and already making as much of a difference as she can while still being sefless and brave. Applause!
Wow, awesome. Can we clone some more Nadias? I love that she has a fantastic teacher now, teachers were a huge influence in my life. Thank you, Nadia!
So let me get this right, she was bullied because she liked to clean up trash? Are kids that pathetic these days? We are even bullied for doing good? Parents please teach your kids to be kind. This kind of behavior is going to make the future harder for all of us.
Bullied so bad that police involved and changed schools. So let’s post the new school so those who hate her know where to find her
I feel like this was an unnecessary and unrelated bash on a religious group... Yeah, some Christians are bad, don't get me wrong, but it's the same with every religion and most of the mean, rude, harmful, violent, etc Christians are not representative of the religion itself.. Just saying this seemed unnecessary.
Load More Replies...
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