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The holiday season bring out Hazelwood School District students’ creativity, generosity with multiple service projects.

Students and staff members all across the Hazelwood School District participated in holiday service projects in November and December designed to help those in our community who are less fortunate. The following is a summary of the activities by elementary, middle and high schools.

Elementary Schools

Armstrong Elementary held a food drive for The Emergency Assistance Ministry (TEAM), sponsored by the Student Council. To assist five of its families, teachers and staff are volunteering in an adopt-a-family project to provide gifts for Christmas. Donations for the families have also come from outside organizations.

Arrowpoint Elementary held a “Turkey Feathers Projects” and raised $650 to support eight families at Thanksgiving. The school bought grocery store gift cards to give to the families. Teachers and staff are sponsoring the same families for Christmas by donating money or gift cards. Remaining funds from the Thanksgiving service project will be used to buy gift cards.

Barrington Elementary held  a Toys for Tots drive, led by Student Council.

Brown Elementary School’s Student Council collected gloves, mittens, socks, scarves, hats and coats to Lutheran Family Children Services/Annie Malone Children’s Home.

Cold Water Elementary supported a staff member by hosting fundraising events to buy gift cards for Christmas. Donations from staff totaled more than $450. The Noel Project and Trinity Church adopted families from the school for Christmas, and at Thanksgiving, the school adopted five of its families and presented them with a box of food for a complete meal, including a gift certificate to purchase a turkey.

Garrett Elementary students sponsored a canned food/toiletries drive. The food was donated to TEAM and the toiletries went to the District’s Community Response Team. The students set a goal of collecting at least 400 items.

Grannemann Elementary Student Council collected personal hygiene items for the Hazelwood School District Community Response Team.

Jamestown Elementary annually holds a Making Spirits Bright campaign to buy coats, hats, gloves, toys and a special party for its students in need. Staff donations help support the campaign, and this year, 22 students will enjoy the holiday season. The school also holds a canned food drive during the holiday season.

Jury Elementary School’s Safety Patrol coordinated a canned food donation drive for Operation Food Search. The school collected 2,991 pounds of food, valued at $4,666.96. Jury Elementary has partnered with the organization since 1999. Karen Lewis, instructional specialist, said “The Jury Elementary community is indeed generous and even though the economy is suffering, we still know about the joy of giving.”

Keeven Elementary students participated in “Chores for Change” to donate money to the Hazelwood School District Community Response Team. The project is led by the Student Council. They are also made holiday baskets for a local nursing home and will deliver them with holiday caroling.

Larimore’s Student Council sponsored its annual food drive to help Larimore families in need. They collected hundreds of canned goods and they also sponsored a hat and mitten drive.

Lawson Elementary students collected pasta sauce, canned pasta and pasta-related items for TEAM. A train was created in the cafeteria to track of their progress. “All aboard to help our community!”

Lusher Elementary students “adopted” one of their families who experienced a severe house fire in late October. Students and staff members have donated money, gift cards and clothing to the family. Students and staff also donated more than 1,150 items to TEAM in November. Lusher’s Student Council is sponsoring a toy drive for Florissant youth and the staff adopted three military family members.

McCurdy Elementary‘s  Student Council sponsored a canned food drive and they collected 1,908 cans. Most of the donations went to McCurdy families in need while the rest went to TEAM. Student council also sponsored a toy collection for Toys for Tots. Students brought in close to 100 new toys for children in need.  These toys were collected the week of December 6th – 10th and were given to Toys for Tots.

McNair Elementary Student Council ran a food drive for the Noel Project. Each classroom provided various items that were incorporated into food boxes for the families coming to the event. McNair staff members brought in toys to be donated and the school’s PTA supported the Noel Project with a generous monetary donation from McNair parents. Student council also ran the McNair Coat Swap.

Russell  School’s Student Council sponsored a “Santa or the Grinch” contest to support local families. The school also has a Cornucopia Project. The project is a paper cornucopia, or horn of plenty, filled with paper fruit and vegetables that represent cash and gift card donations from students. Each month, the school donates canned goods to The Emergency Assistance Ministry, or TEAM.

Townsend Elementary held a canned food drive to support the Helping Hands Food Pantry, collecting more than 900 items.

Twillman School students collected more than 600 canned goods for donation to the Helping Hands Food Pantry, organized by the school’s counselors.

Walker School donated cleaning supplies, personal hygiene products and baby care items to support the Hazelwood School District Community Response Team (CRT).

District Middle Schools

Hazelwood Central Middle students are donating canned goods to a local food pantry for the holidays.

Hazelwood East Middle held a canned food drive, led by the Young Ladies of Elegance. The donated items will be given to the Kathy J. Weinman Shelter for Battered Women and Children.

Hazelwood North Middle School’s National Junior Honor Society and Student Council combined for a school- wide food drive to support The Emergency Assistance Ministry, TEAM, a food pantry that supports the North County area. A friendly competition between grade levels to see who could collect the most items ended up collecting 1,210 items for TEAM.

Hazelwood Northwest Middle School’s Student Council is leading a canned food drive. The donated items will be given to the Little Sisters of the Poor food bank.

Hazelwood Southeast Middle’s counselors hosted a “Can Your Counselor” food drive for Thanksgiving. Students were encouraged to donate canned goods to fill their counselor’s office. Each time students donated five cans, their names went into a drawing with the chance to win a special breakfast or lunch with their counselor. Southeast rallied to collect 550 cans, plus a host of non-perishable items. The items were donated to Bethany Peace Church, located in Spanish Lake, to benefit the residents of Spanish Lake.

Hazelwood Southeast Middle School’s National Junior Honor Society Chapter hosted a stuffed animal drive. The chapter collected more than 150 stuffed animals. Donations benefited the Shriners Hospital for Children and will be delivered to patients during winter break.

Gifted students in the Sonja Brewer’s Students’ Activities in Investigative Learning (SAIL) class at Hazelwood Southeast Middle School are in the process of coordinating a service/fundraiser effort known as “The Darfur, Sudan Project” to raise awareness about events taking place in Darfur, Sudan. In November, ABC news reported that the Kabashi family from Darfur had been granted the opportunity to live in St. Louis. To promote a sense of helping others, these students will carry out the mission to conduct the fundraiser and donate proceeds to the Kabashi family.

Hazelwood West Middle School eighth-grade students participated in a community project to support ill children through the St. Louis Dream Factory.

High Schools

District High Schools

Hazelwood East High School adopted six of its own for the Adopt a Family Christmas Project. A “Pennies for Pasta” student competition among fifth-hour classes is raising money to buy food baskets, toys, clothes and other wish list items. Teacher and staff contributions of at least $20 have raised more than $1,000 for the project, and $500 from ticket sales at a student talent show also provided funding.

Hazelwood West High School has supported families at the Room at the Inn shelter since 2005. This year, among the many gifts, toys, household and personal hygiene items donated, the school community donated $1,265. Students in first-hour classes, as well as student groups, supported the effort, filling a school bus with wrapped gifts for delivery to the shelter.

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