The students of Dunkirk School Five are uniting as great citizens of our community!
The holiday season sees many families in need, and the students and staff of Dunkirk School Five took notice. Under the New York State Dignity Act, put into effect July 2012, New York State School Districts are responsible for the promotion of character education centered on civility and other concepts of tolerance within classroom curriculum. From this stemmed a desire to organize and work on a community service project for the month of November, centered on citizenship, which would extend into the month of December, centered on caring and empathy for others.
Kyle Damon's fourth grade class challenged the rest of School Five to bring in various food donations needed for the holiday season as part of a school-wide community project entitled the 'We Care Food Drive.'
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To prepare for the food drive, members of the fourth grade class wrote individual letters asking for help with donations to allow parents and guardians of School Five students to become aware of their efforts. The students then spent two weeks organizing and collecting donations from staff and students, grades kindergarten through fifth. Boxes were placed within each classroom and the school lobby, which were decorated by the students of School Five. Recognizing the importance of reaching out to their community, students also created colorful posters and flyers, and placed boxes on the campus of SUNY Fredonia asking for help from others.
The food drive saw a tremendous turnout, with many bringing in donations needed specifically for the holidays, such as canned vegetables and gravy mixes. All food was donated to Chautauqua County Rural Ministry's Friendly Kitchen and Food Pantry on Central Avenue in Dunkirk. Over twenty boxes were collected, totaling more than 723 pounds of non-perishable foods.
School Five is very proud of all the hard work put into the food drive by all of the students at the school, as well as the great citizenship and caring shown by all. School Five would like to thank all of its dedicated staff and caring students. Thank you to Linnea Carlson, SUNY Fredonia student/intern, for guiding the fourth grade class through this huge responsibility. Also, thanks to Mr. Damon and School Social Worker Sherry Steger for helping to organize the food drive. Special thanks go out to the families of School Five students for their continued support.
