A North Paulding High School senior will represent Georgia at The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards in May in Washington, D.C.

Drew Mirolli of Acworth was named Georgia’s top high school student volunteer for 2011 in February and will receive a silver medallion and $1,000 at a ceremony in April.

The program, now in its 16th year, is the nation’s largest community service competition and is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Mirolli and 49 others were chosen from 30,000 applicants to vie for five national awards.

Mirolli, who is also a pole vaulter for the school’s track and field team and honor society member, said he heard a presentation three years ago at West Ridge Church from Invisible Children, an organization that helps central Africans. The group challenged listeners to raise funds. Mirolli said he thought that was not enough.

He and three classmates — Andrew Helbling, Bradley Hamilton and Matthew McCoy — decided to get a feel for life the way most of the world’s poor live it. They would camp out for a week, each with only $2 a day for food — but still attend school each day, he said.

In their junior year, they rounded up a total of 47 North Paulding students to participate in what they termed “Operation Poverty.”

“Last September was the third time that we did it,” Mirolli said. “We had 97 students from North Paulding and East Paulding.”

The four persuaded parents and neighbors to let students camp in their yards during “Challenge Week.” In the afternoons, the kids went door to door, raising more than $5,000 for Invisible Children.

“I heard after the week from a girl that said when she was driving back on the highway with her mom, they got off the highway and saw a homeless guy holding a sign,” Mirolli said. “They gave the guy money and food. Afterward, she said, ‘Mom, I know what that feels like.’

Operation Poverty also added a separate activity: a clothing and canned food drive in which every Paulding County public school participated, Mirolli said. It collected 32,000 cans of food and 720 items of clothing for Paulding County families.

Both activities took place during the countywide Poverty Awareness Week.

“I went to the school board this time last year and presented to them and challenged them to create Poverty Awareness Week,” Mirolli said.

Drew’s parents, Maria and David Mirolli, helped teach organizational skills and how to make contacts with elected officials.