Cherokee Students Give Back To Less Fortunate

While the Cherokee County School District teaches character education, these service-learning opportunities are maximized during the holiday season. 

Students throughout the district learn about the importance of giving through hands-on activities that benefit their neighbors — including their own classmates — in need. 

These activities range from classroom to school-wide projects, with many supported by partners like the PTA and local businesses. 

“It's so important that we teach our children that everyone deserves hope,” said Arnold Mill Elementary School PTA President Lindsey Andrews, whose unit launched a “Help = Hope” campaign to collect donations of household supplies, toiletries and more than 100 toys and gifts for the Turn Around Kids Foster Center, which provides a group home for 34 Cherokee County children. “We can be the help our students need.”

Some of these school-drive projects include:  

Avery Elementary School continued its seven-year “Frosty’s Friends” program that, with the assistance of parents and a dozen community partners including the Service League of Cherokee County and Cherokee Sheriff’s Office Reserve Unit, provides food, clothing, school supplies, toys and other gifts for its less fortunate students. “These ‘guardian angel’ sponsors’ thoughtful generosity is evidence that our school community is a strong, inspiring network of caring hearts sharing countless acts of kindness that keep us all warmer throughout each year,” Principal Pam Smith said.

Ball Ground ES STEM Academy teamed up with partners like the Ball Ground Lions Club and Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services to collect food and gifts for local families in need, while Bascomb Elementary School has been gathering donations for the Cherokee County Animal Shelter and hat, gloves and jackets in addition to its Giving Tree that provide gifts for less fortunate families.

Boston Elementary School students distributed gifts of blankets, hats, gloves, scarves and holiday cards to needy elderly neighbors and by caroling at local nursing homes.  

Cherokee High School for the second year was a major sponsor of the Holiday Lights of Hope fundraiser for the Anna Crawford Children’s Center. The school’s welding students create the giant light displays for the community event, which is held every December at Hobgood Park in Towne Lake, and students collect toys for the abused children cared for by the center. Sequoyah High School students also assisted with the light display with efforts including painting backdrops. Cherokee High’s Leadership 56 Team creates “Be Thankful” gifts for Goshen Valley Boys Ranch, MUST Ministries and the Red Cross, while video production students are collecting books for schools affecting by tornadoes this summer.

Clark Creek Elementary School STEM Academy students collected toys for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots drive, and the Student Council sold snowman ornaments to raise money to assist students in need.

Creekland Middle School students gave in many different ways: collected toys for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta cancer patients, gathered canned goods for hungry families, provided toys and gifts for needy classmates and raising money for various charities, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, through Think Through Math’s “The Time for Giving Contest.” For the contest, classes across the Eastern Time Zone including at Creekland Middle competed in math challenges to win money for their chosen charity.

Dean Rusk Middle School students collected 83 boxes of food for MUST Ministries and $500 for needy families, while Etowah High School continued its annual “Shop with an Eagle” program. Etowah's program, which now raises more than $17,000 a year, allows students to take 40 elementary school students from the Etowah Innovation Zone shopping for presents for themselves and their families.  Each child also is provided with bags of canned food for their family.

Freedom Middle School launched “It Begins with One,” a new school-wide program that started with providing holiday gifts for students in need. 

“Our students have shopped for and donated both wanted and needed items for families in the community… this gives the students the opportunity to see the impact individual contributions can make when we work together for a common goal,” Principal Sheila Grimes said, adding that more events are planned “to extend the spirit of giving way beyond this one season.” 

Hasty Elementary School Fine Arts Academy held its annual toy drive to support its less fortunate students and provided a Holiday Craft Night program so families could enjoy a free night with Santa, crafts and food. 

Hickory Flat Elementary School continued its Parade of Toys tradition, led by its Teacher of the Year Nancy Hunter, which grew from collecting 750 toys for children in need to more than 1,000 this year, with support from business partners including Delta Community Bank, Hickory Flat McDonald’s and Hickory Flat Publix. 

“It has been a generous holiday season at Holly Springs Elementary School STEM Academy,” Principal Dr. Dianne Steinbeck said. 

A major service-learning initiative at the school has been to sponsor 56 families in need of assistance for the holidays; to achieve this, the school collaborated with many partners including civic clubs, churches, businesses and the PTA. 

Indian Knoll Elementary School set a goal of helping 167 children who are either students at the school or their siblings, and not only collected gifts for them, but also held a community resource fair for their parents to educate them about assistance available to their families from service agencies and organizations throughout the year. 

Johnston Elementary School’s many service projects have included assembling food baskets and boxes for hungry families, a Secret Santa program to provide gifts to needy students and a family assistance program supported by partners including local police departments, the Service League of Cherokee County, churches and the PTA.  

In addition to its annual Joy of Giving program to provide clothing and toys to students in need, Knox Elementary School this year started a We Can Change Club.  This new service club has already collected canned goods for the 31st 11 Alive Annual Holiday Can-A-Thon (one class collected more than 100 cans on its own) and gathered blankets and other donations for the Cherokee County Animal Shelter. 

Liberty Elementary School raised $675 for the Cherokee County Animal Shelter and made holiday cards and ornaments for the shelter and its staff.  The school’s new Homeless Pet Club, led by teachers Julie Robbins and Stacy Yawn, organized the school-wide effort.  The money was raised by selling a club T-shirt designed by fifth-grader Brynn Ross. 

“Little River Elementary School is very involved in events that give back to our community, especially during the holiday season,” Principal Christian Kirby said, noting that students collected 1,700 canned goods for MUST Ministries; new hats, mittens, scarves and socks for children served by Give A Kid A Chance; and hundreds of gifts for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots drive. The Toys for Tots drive ends with a special assembly, and a parade of toys is led from classrooms to the cafeteria. “This is a moving event, and it is awesome to see the sense of pride the children have when a Marine tells them he is proud of them.” 

Macedonia Elementary School participated in a “Spirit of the Season” program every year, which encompasses several different service-learning projects including collecting canned goods for the 11Alive Can-A-Thon drive, for which its school choruses also performed at The School Box store on Barrett Parkway collection site; and a new project by kindergarten classes for which they gave up their gift exchange to instead raise $1,000 for the Northside Cancer Institute. 

Mountain Road Elementary School partnered with Sequoyah High School’s Junior ROTC to collect canned goods for MUST Ministries; gathered coats, hats and gloves for Changed 2 Ministries; partnered with Love Loud to deliver food to needy families; and donated gifts for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots; and Oak Grove Elementary School Fine Arts Academy assisted more than 60 families through its holiday charitable program in conjunction with local partners. 

River Ridge High School’s service-learning projects have included collecting: more than 8,800 donations for MUST Ministries; personal care items for seniors served by Gentiva Home Health; and clothing and gifts for the North Georgia Angel House, with help from partner Zaxby's of Hickory Flat. 

“This has been a great experience for all of our Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) members to feel like they are making an impact in our community and being able to give back to students our own age so that they can enjoy the holidays a little more," said Rachel Parker, president of FCCLA, which led the North Georgia Angel House project. 

Sixes Elementary School’s efforts included collecting coats and canned food for MUST Ministries, filling stockings with gifts for local children in need and raising $1,500 for children served by the county’s Division of Family and Children Services.

“The giving spirit is alive and well at Sixes.  The community recognizes their many blessings and is more than willing to share with others less fortunate,” Principal Deborah Kelly said, adding that lessons about the importance of service happen not just at school.  “Parents are truly teaching their children well.” 

Teasley Middle School’s annual Spirit of the Season campaign this year included drives to collect gift cards, toys and canned food to help its less fortunate students and their families.

“Every Raider has the opportunity to give, no gift is too small,” Principal Dr. Sue Zinkil said.  “Winston Churchill said: ‘We make a living by what we get.  We make a life by what we give.’  This is the true ‘Spirit of the Season’ that is felt throughout the Raider Nation!” 

Woodstock Elementary School partnered with Walmart on Bells Ferry Road to provide holiday treats for the Woodstock Nursing Home. The Student Council collected the items and hand-delivered them to the seniors.

“The fifth-grade teacher sponsors, Erica Morrie and Justine Smith, feel that it is important to teach children to give back to the community and be involved in community service,” Principal Kim Montalbano said. 

Woodstock High School’s Elves Club raised money throughout the year to provide special memories for the community’s children including an annual holiday party and gifts including toys, clothing and boxes of food donated by teachers, students and partners.

Sponsor teacher Henry Oglesby Jr. said the club’s activities are possible due to the support of the school’s administration, all of its students and staff and partner businesses and churches. 

The school’s softball team also conducts an annual “give back” program, which this year included providing and wrapping gifts for Cherokee County’s “Adopt A Senior” program. The gifts for each senior included a blanket, hat, gloves, scarf and hand-written card.