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Service Learning at NKMS
Sixth Grade News:
So far this year, the sixth graders at NKMS have participated in Kids Helping Kids and Kids Helping Poverty and Homelessness. In their Kids Helping Kids rotation, the students walked and rode buses to other Kirkwood elementary schools in order to build relationships with the 5th graders, talking to them about what to expect in middle school. The 6th graders also created booklets with games, word searches, and mazes for the 5th graders.
In their Kids Helping Poverty and Homelessness rotation, the students made hygiene kits for The Shalom House, a women’s shelter. A group of students also visited The Bridge (a homeless shelter) and performed a talent show. Students displayed a variety of talents including singing, dancing, juggling and playing musical instruments. At the end of the talent show, the students led the clients of The Bridge in line dancing. It was an incredible experience for all! Another group of students visited Kingdom House (a support for those living in poverty). Here, the 6th graders read stories to children about snowmen and decorated snowflakes to help brighten the kids’ day. Finally, the 6th graders also knitted hats on a loom for babies and kids at The Kingdom House.
Seventh Grade News:
The 7th Grade Abilities Awareness group continues to learn about all of the unique abilities of people with disabilities. They had a presentation from members of the St. Louis Firing Squad Beep Ball Team, a baseball team for people with visual impairments. They also had a guest speaker, Mary Daniels, who is hearing impaired. She shared with the students her accomplishments in her life and education. In addition, the students continue to educate themselves about various disabilities in preparation for their Abilities Awareness Fair in the spring.
The 7th Grade Community Health Group has once again produced a very successful Blood Drive! They collected 116 usable pints, beating their goal of 115! They only had to turn away eleven people, which is amazing. The kids did a fabulous job of helping to run the blood drive. They worked hard, took their responsibilities seriously, and did an all-around great job. Additionally, the rest of the group created decorations and cards for the holidays for kids at St. John's Children's Hospital.
The final 7th grade service learning group focuses on our veterans. They constructed neck gaiters and handmade greeting tags that they attached to the gaiters to thank the soldiers for their service. The gaiters will be sent to troops in Afghanistan. Another group created Public Service Announcements that will be broadcast to the school to honor troops and veterans. Students also updated and redesigned the NKMS Veterans display case. Current soldiers and veterans that attended NKMS are invited to send in their photo in uniform, as well as rank and branch of service to NKMS so they can be honored by the school for their sacrifice and service for America . Finally, 57 care packages were constructed by another team of students in the veterans' service learning group. Students traveled to the Operation Homefront warehouse to deliver over 600 items they had collected during the “Care Package Supplies for the Troops” drive and then constructed care packages for the troops. They packed over 700 pounds of care package supplies.
Eighth Grade News:
One group of 8th grade students learned about hunger and poverty and then rolled up their sleeves to help Kirk Care. They loaded flat beds after the canned food drive and packed boxes of food for local families in Kirkwood. Students worked together with students from a private school and retired citizens from the community.
Another group of students have been partnering with Angels’ Arms to help children in foster care. Students began the project by doing some learning. They selected one of three books, offered to learn more about foster care and related issues. Two books are memoirs: I Beat the Odds by Michael Oher and three little words by Ashley Rhodes-Carter. The other is Runaway, which is fiction but captures the harsh realities of some kids’ experiences in foster care. All of the books reveal the need for changes in the foster care system and why organizations like Angels’ Arms are so important. Students will continue to read the books throughout this school year and teacher, Melissa Banjak, even offered the books to the students’ parents so meaningful conversations can take place at home too. As part of the project, the kids made gifts for the children of Angels’ Arms. Together, they created a beautiful holiday card for each family member, decorated and personalized a picture frame for each child, and assembled 24 gift “jars” with the ingredients for making rainbow soup, M&M cookies, and peppermint stick cocoa. (Each family will receive three.)
Students brought in over $432 in gift cards/cash (along with one adorable Build-A-Bear)!