Posted 12:36 am Thursday, November 01, 2007
REL Students Hustle To Collect Food
By MEGAN MIDDLETON
Staff Writer
Paper sacks and cardboard boxes teeming with cans of corn, beans and chili lined the walls inside Eric Sivertson's classroom at Robert E. Lee High School this week.
Students bustled around the room, organizing an assortment of rice, macaroni and cheese, pancake mix, pineapple chunks and a host of other canned and boxed foods, and carrying the loads to a large trailer stationed in front of the school.
For some of the students helping, the school day has ended, but they stick around to volunteer their time in an effort to not only win a competition, but to help needy families in East Texas.
This week, the competition between Robert E. Lee and John Tyler High School to collect the most food for the East Texas Food Bank has kicked into high gear.
Staff Writer
Paper sacks and cardboard boxes teeming with cans of corn, beans and chili lined the walls inside Eric Sivertson's classroom at Robert E. Lee High School this week.
Students bustled around the room, organizing an assortment of rice, macaroni and cheese, pancake mix, pineapple chunks and a host of other canned and boxed foods, and carrying the loads to a large trailer stationed in front of the school.
For some of the students helping, the school day has ended, but they stick around to volunteer their time in an effort to not only win a competition, but to help needy families in East Texas.
This week, the competition between Robert E. Lee and John Tyler High School to collect the most food for the East Texas Food Bank has kicked into high gear.
Robert E. Lee High School student Moriah Rivera hands an empty box to Brady Jones to be filled with loose canned goods Tuesday in the annual Pantry Raid competition with John Tyler High School.
"It's always a terrific effort," Sivertson, the sponsor of the Student Senate at Lee, said of the "pantry raid" food drive. "It's really student led. It's really neat to see what they can do."
With Friday's deadline approaching, Lee students say the school and the community are getting more excited and involved.
Various incentives are offered to Lee students to help encourage them to bring food for the drive, said Emma Cyrocki, chairman of the "pantry raid" at Lee.
Some teachers will give extra credit, and the class that collects the most food will get a pizza party. Other incentives include an off-campus lunch pass, a pass to get out of detention and a pass to get out of Saturday school.
This week at Lee is also spirit week, where students dress up each day based on various themes. Students dressed like hippies on Tuesday, to go along with the theme, "Peace out to the (John Tyler) Lions."
"It's really fun ... but it also goes to a really great cause to help the community," Mallory Cook, the student body president at Lee, said of the food drive effort.
The community gets involved as well to help in the "pantry raid" at Lee.
Miss Cyrocki said Brookshire's donates paper bags the students then leave in the neighborhoods for people to fill and later retrieve.
New this year, the businesses that donate at least $150 to the food drive will have their names displayed on the school's marquee to thank them.
Elementary and middle schools that feed into Lee assist them in the effort also.
"Our teachers, our middle schools and our elementary schools have done a whole, whole lot," Miss Cyrocki said. "They get really excited."
The Student Senate is also contributing $1,000 to the effort.
Katelyn Carr, also a co-chair of the "pantry raid," said she believes it's an important project because there are a lot of families that are not as privileged as others.
"I think it's really cool how we get the opportunity to help," Miss Carr said. "It pushes you out of your comfort zone ..."
Student organizers said there is a lot of pressure to keep up their winning streak against John Tyler.
Miss Carr said they always want to beat John Tyler, but also, "I don't think as many people realize how much (the food drive) really helps the community."
The students organizing the project do think about the impact their efforts may have on a family who might go hungry.
"It really doesn't matter whether we win or lose," said Ross Weathers, also a co-chair of the "pantry raid."
Students said the drive has made them more aware of the plight of the hungry.
"We've never gone without a meal in our lives," Weathers said. "I couldn't imagine doing that."
With Friday's deadline approaching, Lee students say the school and the community are getting more excited and involved.
Various incentives are offered to Lee students to help encourage them to bring food for the drive, said Emma Cyrocki, chairman of the "pantry raid" at Lee.
Some teachers will give extra credit, and the class that collects the most food will get a pizza party. Other incentives include an off-campus lunch pass, a pass to get out of detention and a pass to get out of Saturday school.
This week at Lee is also spirit week, where students dress up each day based on various themes. Students dressed like hippies on Tuesday, to go along with the theme, "Peace out to the (John Tyler) Lions."
"It's really fun ... but it also goes to a really great cause to help the community," Mallory Cook, the student body president at Lee, said of the food drive effort.
The community gets involved as well to help in the "pantry raid" at Lee.
Miss Cyrocki said Brookshire's donates paper bags the students then leave in the neighborhoods for people to fill and later retrieve.
New this year, the businesses that donate at least $150 to the food drive will have their names displayed on the school's marquee to thank them.
Elementary and middle schools that feed into Lee assist them in the effort also.
"Our teachers, our middle schools and our elementary schools have done a whole, whole lot," Miss Cyrocki said. "They get really excited."
The Student Senate is also contributing $1,000 to the effort.
Katelyn Carr, also a co-chair of the "pantry raid," said she believes it's an important project because there are a lot of families that are not as privileged as others.
"I think it's really cool how we get the opportunity to help," Miss Carr said. "It pushes you out of your comfort zone ..."
Student organizers said there is a lot of pressure to keep up their winning streak against John Tyler.
Miss Carr said they always want to beat John Tyler, but also, "I don't think as many people realize how much (the food drive) really helps the community."
The students organizing the project do think about the impact their efforts may have on a family who might go hungry.
"It really doesn't matter whether we win or lose," said Ross Weathers, also a co-chair of the "pantry raid."
Students said the drive has made them more aware of the plight of the hungry.
"We've never gone without a meal in our lives," Weathers said. "I couldn't imagine doing that."
