Hoosiers students give back: Part 1 of 2

Every year around this time, I pause and reflect on how thankful I am for all life’s small blessings. I’m thankful for my family, health and of course my dog, Mercury. Many people like to show how thankful they are this time of year by giving back to their community or to those less fortunate. Even more special are when children realize how much they are blessed and decide to give a little back.

Students all around Posey and Vanderburgh counties from kindergarten to seniors in high school have been hard at work this holiday season trying to make Christmas a more special time for families in need. I would like to highlight and recognize some of them for all their hard work and efforts to give back. This week, I will focus on high schools and middle schools.

Mater Dei High School in Evansville successfully put together a food drive for local pantries this past Thanksgiving and immediately began to look towards the Christmas season. Mater Dei has an enrollment of 505 students that are split up into 21 homeroom classes. Each homeroom has adopted a family in the community and has been collecting items to surprise the family closer to Christmas. The Key Club, National Honor Society and Student Council at Mount Vernon High School have also been very busy. All three organizations are doing canned food drives while the Key Club is collecting clothes for At the Cross mission, which is located in Mount Vernon.

Meanwhile at Mount Vernon Jr. High School, the student council is currently doing a canned food drive of their local food pantries for the Christmas season. Currently, they have about 5,000 items that have already been donated and are still collecting more. Students are also bringing in toys for the Salvation Army’s Toy Town and are a designated donation spot for the community to drop off toys for the organization. The Mt. Vernon Jr. High Builder’s club is raising money for this event as well.  The student council at James E. Thompkins Middle School has been raising funds for Toys for Tots, while the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) has been helping out by selling candy canes with all of the money raised going to Toys for Tots. Also, the sixth grade Quest class has decided to collect toiletry items for those in need.

I am so proud of all of these students who are setting an example for the rest of the community and reminding us all what this special time of year is all about. Giving a little can go a long way in making someone’s holiday season a little brighter. If you would like to help out any of these schools in their efforts, please give the school’s main office a call. Next week, I will continue to highlight the efforts of elementary school students who are hard at work to make sure everyone in Posey and Vanderburgh counties have a very special Christmas.