MABLETON - Walker Wood, an eighth-grader at Whitefield Academy, took his principal's words on leadership to heart when he collected more than 120 pairs of shoes.

The shoes will be donated to the homeless of Atlanta, Waker, 14, said. He said he was motivated to collect them after listening to Whitefield Middle School Principal Dr. Kevin Bracher at an optional leadership class that is conducted once a week.

"I thought it was a good idea," Walker said of his effort. "Studies show that the homeless walk about 8 miles a day in search of food, work and shelter. That really wears down on their shoes."

Walker has been learning about leadership through service all year as a member of the principal's Middle School Student Leadership Team. Recently, Bracher challenged the 13 students on the team to put what they have learned into action.

"He's just teaching us how to lead and lead by example in our life," Wood said.

Bracher said one of the ways that he has told the team is the best way to develop leadership skills is to initiate some type of service to other people.

"That's a big part of leadership," said Bracher.

"Walker was the first one to come to me. He came to me with a plan and said, 'Here's how I would like to serve,' and he came up with this whole plan. He did a great job of just initiating serving others."

Walker said he donated three pairs of shoes himself and solicited other gently used shoes from the entire student body, faculty and staff, and parents. All the shoes will be given to the "Feet on the Street" project.

His grandfather, Warren Wood, is a member of Atlanta's Cathedral of St. Philip's, which sponsors "Feet on the Street" under the direction of Harriet and Jim Siegers. Shoes are collected and donated to Peachtree-Pine homeless shelter, Atlanta's largest homeless shelter.

"The homeless shelter sets up a shoe store once a month. They try to have a least 100 pairs of shoes a month to give away," stated Walker's mother, Dona Wood.

"Everyone has shoes in their closet that they can't use so it was an easy project. It was so touching to see everyone giving. Some people bought new shoes and donated socks as well."

Walker and his family plan to join members of St. Philip's to deliver the shoes to the shelter on Easter Sunday. Walker said he has never been to the shelter and looks forward to visiting it.

Walker's project has spurred other Student Leadership Team members to launch ideas of their own. Two eighth-grade members, Justin Brendal and Brandon Chan, organized a "Night Out for Haiti" event Saturday that raised money for the Global Orphan project, which provides food and water to transitional villages in Haiti. As part of the event, middle school student volunteers provided fun and entertainment to lower school students, while their parents enjoyed an evening out.

Whitefield Academy is a Christian preparatory school located in Mableton and has more than 650 students from Cobb, Fulton and Douglas counties.