Congratulations to Cathedral School, Natchez’s first &uot;Block of Distinction&uot; under a new program designed to recognize areas that work hard at beautification.

And kudos, too, to the volunteers and city officials who continue to make beautification and important part of our community life.

Cathedral’s effort is a school-wide activity. Students and parents are involved in planting gardens, and the school’s Peer Ministry Group has made plans to plant additional flowers on the campus. And Headmaster Pat Sanguinetti credits the school’s maintenance staff with keeping up with all of the plantings.

The city’s beautification committee hopes the recognition for Cathedral will inspire other residents, businesses and areas to clean up their own blocks. Cathedral will have a sign outside the school for the next two months noting that it is a &uot;Block of Distinction.&uot;

We’re proud of the city for putting beautification front and center, not just at a time of the year like Pilgrimage, but every single day.

Mayor Phillip West and the Board of Aldermen have continued to support the efforts of the beautification committee, which is working on two fronts: education and enforcement. Aldermen have also worked on strengthening existing ordinances.

It’s great to see the commitment on this issue, both from city officials and from residents.