A pair of elementary schools in School District 70 (Alberni-Pacific Rim) have been busy collecting items to help make the holiday season a bit brighter for members of their community.
The upper intermediate students and staff from Maquinna Elementary School, along with the Kindergarten class, held a food drive at their school. Last week they donated 1,115 items to the Salvation Army, to assist Alberni Valley communities.
Maquinna has conducted food drives in the past “but not to this extent,” vice-principal Julie Dawson said. Restrictions due to COVID-19 further complicated things in 2020 and the beginning of 2021. “The (food collection) idea came from one of the other teachers.”
The older students started collecting food in mid-November. On Dec. 10 kids from the four classes with Grades 6-7 students helped pack the Salvation Army’s cube van, to take the food items to the community food bank.
“Hopefully it becomes a tradition,” Dawson said.
At John Howitt Elementary, the school’s student leadership team collected food donations and brought them to the Bread of Life. The leadership team comprises Jailyn Little, Olivia Booth, Amara Darling, Layla Griffith, Sydney Roberts, Taylor Parcher and Mackenzie Alarie.
The class that collected the most food received a cupcake party. Teachers from John Howitt also compiled a lip sync video of themselves “singing” Christmas songs. Elizabeth Platz put the video together and posted it on YouTube.
These are some of many initiatives classes have taken to ensure Alberni Valley and west coast community members are warm and fed (and in some cases entertained) this month.
susie.quinn@albernivalleynews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter