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Learning that there is more to life than school and that helping others in the community is a positive thing to do are two goals of the Operation Cheer-up Club.

Brown Elementary School in the Hazelwood School District has sponsored the after-school club for many years. It is the brainchild of a now-retired teacher, Jeanie Bockstruck. Comprised of 24 fifth grade students, all devoted to community involvement, students complete service projects and other positive endeavors both within their school and in their community.

An annual event pairs the students with senior citizens at the Villa at Riverwood retirement community in Hazelwood, with whom the boys and girls maintain a pen-pal relationship during the academic year. This year, the boys and girls finally got to meet their pen-pals earlier this fall when they visited the retirement community. They put on a fashion show and visited with the residents.

“It helps with bonding,” said fourth grade teacher Dawn Probst, who is one of the club’s co-sponsors, with fifth grade teacher Pete Kain. “The kids really get another adult friend in their lives.”

More recently, the students made holiday ornaments as part of the “Soldier’s Wish List” project where trees and decorations are sent to military personnel serving overseas.
History interests club member Preston Bluett, and he made a surprising discovery about his pen pal; that he fought in World War II.

“I never imagined I’d meet someone who fought in a war,” Bluett said. “History is interesting because you learn about what happened in our country’s past. I was excited to meet him because I had been sending him cards.”

“It’s rewarding to see these kids think about what they can do for the community,” Kain said. He surveyed them to find out what types of things they want do next semester. They chose a park in Florissant to clean up.

“This gives them a chance to interact with the community to make a positive difference,” he continued.

Student Emily Prinzi had more in common with her pen-pal than she realized.

“I wrote to my pen-pal about my family and I found out she’s my great aunt,” she said.
Pam Bockhorst, the activity director for the Villa at Riverwood, said it was no coincidence that Prinzi met a family member.

“I saw that last name on the list and I knew it had to be a relative,” Bockhorst said of the Brown student. “Our Prinzi made a couple of calls and found out Emily is her great niece.

“The Brown students come here twice a year and we try to go there for a visit toward the end of the year,” Bockhorst continued. “The residents get a kick out of it and love being around the kids. The children also get to see that just because you are older doesn’t mean you are feeble. The kids get a different perspective on aging.”

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