This truly is the greatest time of year. At our school, our students have participated in wonderful, philanthropic activities that serve our community and convey the spirit of the holiday season.
First, they raised money for our new playground equipment. While this may have been a bit self-serving, the equipment will last beyond the attendance of any child at Brookhaven. All children who helped raise money can proudly point to the playground and tell younger children, "I helped build that."
Just yesterday the school wrapped up it's annual food drive. The student council, under the direction of Mrs. Melanie Gore and Mrs. Hope Kelly, collected, sorted, counted and boxed a seemingly endless supply of canned goods. Besides the management of the donated supplies, the student council was responsible for marketing this event, too. It would be interested to me to find out what they learned in this process, if they thought they learned anything at all. Trust me, they learned leadership and collaboration skills, with some marketing skills thrown in. They are good kids who are going to be fantastic leaders. They have wonderful teachers that set high expectations for completion of any project undertaken.
The classes have earned well-crafted rewards for their participation in these activities, and as usual, spirits have been (deservedly) running high, atop of the usual, understandable Christmas merriment. Each day I hear many excited tales of what the Elf on the Shelf did the night before, along with tales of what all children want Santa to bring. It is wonderful to hear, but every now and then, kids need to unwind and decompress a little. Here are some ideas from Epic that may help.
Epic! is an ebook site that is free for teachers and librarians. Parents may try a 30-day trial. If wishing to continue, the cost is less than $8.00 a month. Of course, parents should be reminded of the wonderful ebook resources provided by Monongalia County Schools and Morgantown Public Library. If you need help accessing these resources, let me know in the comments.
