In early January Winterville Special Education teacher Neil Klinedinst pitched an idea of collecting 500 donated items for the local Ronald McDonald House. All 29 honor students from elementary and middle schools were excited to take part and ready for their tasks.
A small group of Honors Students at the Ronald McDonald House.
“The students were assigned various roles with their grade level advisor while I lead a group of four students in leadership and oversight positions,” Klinedinst said.
Students filled roles in the following groups: Video promotions, In-house promotions, Community Outreach, Community Partner Services and Project Management. As members of their respective teams, students developed fliers, posters, drafted outreach letters and even made a video promoting the project which was scheduled to run for 18 days.
Donations came in slowly and there was concern the team wouldn’t meet their goal, but in the end, they collected 757 items.
A small group of Honors Students at the Ronald McDonald House.
“A goal of 500 seemed lofty at times, but we demonstrated perseverance and courage while focusing on others,” Klinedinst said. “I just love helping students learn the value of community service. Being the advisor for the Honor Societies is such a blessing because it places me in a position to be myself.”
Students were able to tour the Ronald McDonald House after the drive to see where the donations would be used.
“This drive has taught each of us the value of compassion, perseverance, and courage,” he said.
The Warrior Wall - with pictures of current/former children receiving care at the Ronald McDonald House.
Klinedinst said Winterville’s National Elementary and Junior Honor Society staff advisors are invested in providing an opportunity for these scholars to explore their lives while using Moral Focus as their gear box. Winterville students are also excelling in the classroom, as they continue to outperform the local school district in all subjects.
Great work, Winterville honor students and advisors!
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About Winterville Charter Academy:
Winterville Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Winterville, North Carolina, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes over 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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