PTK PARTNERS WITH KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL– OPERATION GREEN:  Improving our Communities, a partnership between Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and Keep American Beautiful, focuses attention on the environment by helping to improve communities.    Northeast Mississippi Community College’s  Iota Zeta chapter of Phi Theta Kappa recently spent a day helping the Northeast maintenance staff on campus.  Phi Theta Kappa officers assisting were (l-r) Sarah Shelton, vice president of leadership, Ripley;  Joel  Barron, recording secretary; Red Bay, Ala.; Rusty  Whitten, president, Corinth; Mark  Williams, treasurer, Booneville; and Eric Davis, special projects chairman, Corinth.  By engaging volunteers, Keep America Beautiful extended the reach of education and multiplies the impact of their actions.  Broad-based community alliances are essential to achieve sustainable community improvement.  Keep America Beautiful seeks to change individual behaviors and improve communities through a focus on litter prevention, waste reduction and beautification.  Founded in 1918,   Phi Theta Kappa, the official honor society of two-year colleges,is an international honor society composed of 1100 chapters at colleges in the United States and Canada.  International headquarters for the organization are located in Jackson, Miss.  Northeast’s Iota Zeta chapter is a “Five Star” chapter, the highest rating given any chapter, and has been recognized as an exemplary model. The chapter was recognized in 2005 as a top 100 chapter internationally.  It is open to students enrolled full-time who maintain a 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.