Students, teachers helping others for Thanksgiving
BY GREGG L. PARKER
Children, teenagers and teachers in Madison City Schools are helping others to enjoy a decent meal on Thanksgiving Day.
Discovery Middle School’s canned food drive, “Beat Hunger – Iron Bowl,” has pitted students to fill collection boxes labeled for the University of Alabama, Auburn University or ‘I don’t care.’ Residents also can donate by taking cans to the Discovery lobby through Nov. 18, inclusion teacher Sara Baragona said.
Discovery’s Student Government Association is sponsoring the Iron Bowl drive to help Christmas Charities Year Round. For each can donated, students receive 25 cents off library fines.
West Madison Elementary School’s traditional Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 17 will be open to two visitors for each student. Kymberly Mittman’s kindergarten class ended their food group unit with a fiesta. “During this time, we talked about what we are thankful for,” she said. Mittman’s students collected canned and boxed goods for local families in need.
For the third year, the Science National Honor Society at Bob Jones High School is sponsoring the “Give Food, Give Thanks!” “Our goal is to collect 2,000 food items … for our local food bank, Inside-Out Ministries,” sponsor and forensic science teacher Belinda Sewell said.
“We have some very competitive students and teachers, so we decided to turn it into a contest,” Sewell said. The class with most collections will receive a pizza lunch sponsored by Domino’s Pizza.
“Sometimes we may not realize hunger is a real problem everywhere. Hopefully, we’re helping to mold a more socially conscious student that will last beyond Bob Jones,” Sewell said.
In anticipation of Christmas, Heritage Elementary School is conducting its second annual rummage sale on Nov. 19 from 7 to 11 a.m. The sale will raise money to buy Christmas presents for disadvantaged students at Heritage.
“Please remember that times are especially hard this year,” coordinator and kindergarten teacher Michelle White said. “Lots of children won’t receive a gift this holiday season.” Heritage will donate all unsold items to Goodwill.
