West Branch students collect over 3,000 items for food drive
Students at West Branch Middle and Intermediate Schools rallied together to collect 3,299 nonperishable goods for a food drive before Thanksgiving Day.
The drive was sponsored by the middle school's student council, a group that generated friendly competition by implementing daily themes during the collection. Suggested donation items changed with each new day and a set of group challenges kept students interested in supporting the cause. The school said that the method helped encourage variety in items brought in.
On Monday of donation week, students took part in a battle as old as time: boys versus girls. Boys brought breakfast items to donate, which secured victory at the intermediate school. But it was the girls and their lunch goods who came out on top at the district's middle school.
Tuesday was "Dynamic Duo" day and the competition became middle school against intermediate school. The younger crew stacked up more classic companion foods like macaroni and cheese plus peanut butter and jelly than their junior-high aged counterparts.
Wednesday was devoted to students from both schools competing based on their birth month. Kids born from January to June brought fruits while those born in the second half of the year gathered vegetables.
Then on Thursday it was students versus staff with each school going head to head, battling teachers in their building to gather feast foods like mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy. After years of being assigned homework, having to raise their hand just to heard and taking tests, the students were surely happy to know they defeated their teachers at both schools.
The Food Drive ended on a Friday when students could represent their homeroom by donating any variety of nonperishable items. Two classes brought in 59 items each at the middle school. Not to be outdone, an intermediate school homeroom gathered 126 items. Students from all of those classrooms were treated to prizes and rewards for their generosity.
“Our students and families have been extremely generous with the food drive this year,” says Fritz Schlueter, the Intermediate School Principal. “These contributions will be given directly to students and families within our school as needed - for the holidays or everyday needs that our staff may be aware of. It’s great to see our students helping their peers, without knowing who might be in need of it."
