They were born to give and give and give. That’s the perception of superintendent Barry Wowk regarding all the children of the St. Albert Protestant School District.
“I’m very, very proud of them,” he exclaimed. “A big part of our role is to help our young people be as good citizens as they can be, and part of that is giving and community service.”
He added that it’s also important for them to learn about tolerance and understanding of differences in all of the people of the world. In doing so, they become compassionate enough to see the pain and suffering of others, and realize how much is within their own power to change things for the better.
“They do so much! We try to use a site-based approach that allows our schools to pick their projects as opposed to district projects and that allows us to touch more people. I have great hope for the future and great faith in these future citizens. They are learning to really care for their fellow human beings.”
There are more than 6,000 students currently in attendance at the 14 schools in the separate school district. Here is a brief summary of what they all do to give back through various community and charity efforts.
• Sir George Simpson (Grades 7-9): Served breakfast to the homeless at the All Saints Anglican Cathedral in Edmonton, volunteered at the St. Albert Food Bank, collected coats and backpacks for the homeless, as well as shoebox gifts for the annual Operation Christmas Child campaign.
• Paul Kane (Grades 10-12): Collected more than $43,000 over the last three years for Change for Africa, one of the school’s major initiatives. This money has been used to complete a school project in Ikonge, Kenya with the addition of four new kindergarten classrooms, all furnished and with power. Four other classrooms were refurbished and 14 bathrooms provided with running water. Last year, a water well was installed for the benefit of the whole community of 10,000 people. This year, PK is hoping to build classrooms in Ndanai, a poor community that has one of the few schools for integrating physically handicapped students. The students also sponsor two children from St Anne's Orphanage in Nakuru.
• Elmer S. Gish (K-9): One student raised more than $1,000 for Movember by selling fake moustaches for $5 each. The school also collected more than 150 Christmas Child shoeboxes.
• Leo Nickerson (K-6): Collected for the annual St. Albert Kinettes’ Christmas hamper campaign, as well as the food bank, World Vision and the Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation to adopt an injured Great Horned Owl named Nestor. The school hosted a mitten tree, collecting toques, gloves and mittens for those in need.
• Ronald Harvey (K-6): Helped the Christmas hamper campaign, hosted a Mitten Tree, supported the U of A Hospital through the Festival of Trees, and contributed to Operation Christmas Child.
• Robert Rundle (K-6): Sent in 70 boxes for Operation Christmas Child, shoveled sidewalks and driveways for neighbourhood homes, then delivered Christmas cards to the homeowners, hosted a Mitten Tree with hats, mittens and scarves donated to the Kinettes. Collected donations for the food bank, Santas Anonymous.
• Keenooshayo (K-6): Raised more than $1,000 for Movember by purchasing fake moustaches, donated more than 150 Christmas Child shoeboxes, and the KIC (Keenooshayo in the Community) club collected new socks to be donated to the Mustard Seed Shelter in Edmonton. The Grade 3 classes also collected for the food bank.
• Wild Rose (K-6): Grade 2 classes collected for the St. Albert Food Bank’s Community Village and the student council held a Rice Krispie square sale to fundraise for The Children's Wish Foundation. A Mitten, Scarf and Sock Tree brought in clothing donations for the Kinettes, plus hampers were collected for them as well. Students sang at Northridge Lodge and delivered Christmas cards to neighbourhood houses around the school.
• Sir Alexander Mackenzie (K-6): More than 200 shoeboxes were collected for Operation Christmas Child, and the school also collected donations for the Kinettes and the food bank. Students made and delivered Christmas cards to the community and shovelled local sidewalks and driveways. The student body has also anonymously adopted five families in need by collecting toys, food, and clothing for seven adults and nine children in total.
• William D. Cuts (Grades 7-9): The Leadership class has been working with the St. Albert Senior Citizens’ Centre to make Christmas brighter for some area seniors by making cards and cookies with small presents and delivering them in mid-December, singing Christmas carols all the way.
• Lorne Akins (Grades 7-9): Gatoraide, the school’s service and volunteerism club, collected almost 50 boxes for Operation Christmas Child. It also campaigns to raise awareness about how poverty, disease, and exploitation of children and youth can negatively impact their rights. They got the school to participate in a Vow of Silence day to promote awareness of the issues to motivate more people to get involved. The student council also holds its annual Student-Teacher Charity Hockey Classic on the last day of school before the holiday break. Students who bring in donations to the food bank are entered into a draw to play.
• Outreach (Grades 10-12): Students donated to Santas Anonymous, the Edmonton Humane Society and the food bank.
• Muriel Martin (K-6): Students participated in various personal projects to make the world a better place. These included knitting scarves for Special Olympics participants, making Christmas cards for hospital patients, collecting pop tabs for wheelchairs, making Christmas cards and playing piano for a seniors’ home, holding a bake sale for Rescue For Life (a no-kill animal rescue society), and collected for both the food bank and the United Way Coats for Kids and Families Campaign.
• Bellerose (Grades 10-12): Collected shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child as well as toys and food for the Kinettes and the food bank. Staff and students also helped the Salvation Army by volunteering to run various stations for its annual Christmas Kettle Campaign.
No information was available for the St. Gabriel Storefront School by the time the Gazette went to press.
