During the 2017-2018 school year, students at Covington Catholic High School collected nearly three tons of food as part of their “Can Hunger” food drive. They also collected plastic store bags that were turned into mats for the homeless with the help of Shari The Bag Lady
The canned food and nonperishable items were donated to Be Concerned.
Covington Catholic Canned Food Drive from Steve Oldfield on Vimeo.
Recently, Matthew Desmond visited NKU to share his book and research focused on eviction. Up until his research, there wasn’t much information out there regarding occurrence and prevalence of evictions and forced moves. He equates this with trying to cure cancer but not even knowing how many people have the disease or which are most prevalent.
Dr. Matthew Desmond on the number of people evicted in 2016: “That’s twice the number of Americans that die in car accidents every year. That’s twice the number of people who get arrested for drug offenses every year. We heard a lot about the opioid crisis last year, and for good reason, it’s an incredibly important topic. There are around 63,000 overdose deaths in 2016 and about 2.3 million people evicted, so for every tragic overdose there are 36 people that are pushed into the street. This is a problem of enormous scope and consequence.” Dr. Matthew Desmond
Dr. Desmond started the website database evictionlab.org with the proceeds of his book to discover new facts about how eviction is shaping our nation, raise awareness and work towards new solutions.
Utilizing Eviction Lab and their teacher’s guide, we’ve put together a service-learning lesson plan for a project focused on eviction. Through this process, you and your students will be able to analyze the data and use it to advocate for changes in your own community.
Lesson Plan: How can we use data to learn about eviction
Kindergartners collect and count for GO Pantry
Kindergartners at Mann Elementary collected 15 boxes of food to give to GO Pantry. Through the process students used sorting and tally marks to keep track of the items they brought in. They also learned that there are needy families right in their own community.
First Graders learn about Wants and Needs of our Community
First graders at Mann Elementary researched and learned about the wants and needs of our community. Students learned how to distinguish between wants and needs, research topics, write persuasive letters and information writings, and work together to build life skills. Students then, created, collected and delivered goods to the Boone County Animal Shelter.
Kids Helping Kids
While learning about community workers and services as well as helping others in need, second graders at Mann Elementary chose to help local children in need. The students collected 50 board games to donate to a children’s room at a local hospital to help other children pass the time while at the hospital.
Third Graders Honor our Veterans
Third graders at Mann Elementary created memorials for the veterans in our community. Through the process, students learned why we celebrate Veteran’s Day, what a veteran is, and what a memorial is. They decided the important factors to consider when creating a memorial to honor Veterans. They also made decisions on the type of memorial to create and what materials to create it with. The memorials were put on display for the Veterans that came to visit Mann Elementary.
Fifth graders host a Math-a-thon for St. Jude
Fifth graders at Mann Elementary hosted a Math-a-thon and practiced adding and subtracting decimals. In the process, students raised $1,855.00 to benefit St. Jude Hospital.
To host your own Math-a-thon, visit https://www.stjude.org/.
Jump Rope for Heart is a community service learning program of the American Heart Association. It teaches kids:
Stephens Elementary project ran from October 12th -October 31st. They encouraged students to raise funds and help support the American Heart Association to become a Heart Hero and help save lives.
Rundown of events:
October 11th – Kick off assembly with Matt from the American Heart Association.
Thursday, October 12th – All special area classes combined for a day of JUMP ROPE!!
October 20th – Field Day with Jump Rope Center included
Physical Education teacher taught jump rope unit mid-October- mid-November.
Students who raised money to support the American Heart Association were recognized on the morning announcements weekly and their names were added to a bulletin board for others to view. The school raised a total of $4093.42 for the American Heart Association.
To learn more about Jump Rope for Heart or to host your own, visit: http://american.heart.org/jump-hoops/
Second graders at Mann Elementary are raising awareness/funds for Multiple Myeloma through a project they call Mann Moving Mountains.
They became interested in this cause because Dr. Detwiler. “Dr. D.” the Deputy Superintendent for the Boone County School District was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2016.
Dr. Detwiler will be raising awareness in the fall of 2018 when he climbs Mt. Everest (Kalapathar Summit = about 3.5 miles up). He has inspired the 2nd Grade Team to join him in his efforts to raise awareness and to help raise money to find a cure for Multiple Myeloma.
Through their research, they studied the human body (bones) and researched Mt. Everest. Students have learned how to use technology for research, facts about Mt. Everest, and the scientific name of many bones.
Students have also written songs, learned the importance of raising awareness for cures, designed t-shirts, assisted in the planning of a 5K run/walk by making posters and participating in morning announcements.
You can track their work here: https://www.sites.google.com/site/mannsecondgrade/home/2nd-grade-service-learning
Fifth graders at Grant’s Lick Elementary wrote letters of opinion on their cause of choice and why it should be the organization we support this year. Students voted on the best letter and that student’s choice became our cause. Students held a “cozy items” drive to benefit families experiencing homelessness who were receiving assistance from Family Promise. Students created flyers and announcements to invite their fellow students to contribute.
Students spent time researching issues of homelessness and had a Q and A session with the Director of Family Promise when they went to deliver the over 300 blankets and pairs of socks they collected.
To learn more about Family Promise of NKY and how you can help, visit: https://www.nkyfamilypromise.org/
Third graders at Kelly Elementary researched cystic fibrosis and created a video that was shown to the entire school. All students learned about breathing and its effects on physical fitness in PE class. The school will participate in a color run to raise money to give to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Students are very passionate about the cause because one of their fellow students has the disease and they wanted to help others understand how it affects her and others.
The fundraiser runs through the end of the school year and students hope to raise $1,500 to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
To learn more about Cystic Fibrosis and how you can help, visit: https://www.cff.org/.
5th graders at Florence Elementary collected boxes of cereal, deodorant, and flip-flops for The Emergency Shelter of NKY in Covington, KY. The shelter serves as a warm shelter for people experiencing homelessness on cold nights, as a cool shelter for the homeless on extremely hot days, as well as shower initiative where people experiencing homelessness can shower and get their laundry washed.
The shelter is funded solely by donations, grants, and outreach. In class, the 5th grade studied rural areas, our community, and covered empathy and perseverance during sessions with our school counselor.
During and after the donation drive, students graphed the items collected and researched homelessness in our community to explore the causes of, and possible solutions for, homelessness. Before the project started, the executive director, Kim Webb visited the classes to explain what their organization does and provided statistics and information about the shelter. As part of the celebration, Ms. Webb returned to Florence Elementary to pick up the donations and listen to student reflections. Through this outreach, students learned a greater sense of personal efficacy, personal identity, and moral development. Students applied the skills learned to be understanding and empathetic, and hope to inspire others.
The total donations given to the Emergency Shelter of NKY reached 1,368!
Miscellaneous food and drink: 201
Cereal: 659
Deodorant: 134
Flip Flops: 15
Dental: 46
Laundry: 1
To learn more about The Emergency Shelter of NKY, visit: http://emergencyshelternky.org/
