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Buckland Mills Elementary School

Gainesville, Virginia

Principal: Minaxi Odedra
Advisors: Courtney Warnell, Lora Schalow
Student Council Officers: 4

Projects

“Coats From Caring Cats”

When the local collection center and thrift store was very low on coats during the cold season, the student council felt they wanted to support the center and its patrons by collecting warm coats and other winter items. They planned a friendly competition between classes, with the class collecting the most items winning a free 45-minute tech class. Student council members promoted the drive on the morning announcements, by creating posters, and by leading classroom informational meetings. A total of 180 coats plus other warm accessories were collected and donated to a local organization. The school population was very proud of their success by joining together for a good cause. Future plans include having the student council members deliver the items themselves to see the impact that they made.     

“Cans From Caring Cats”

The student council lead the efforts for a Thanksgiving canned food drive with a school-wide goal of collecting at least 200 cans. Council members demonstrated leadership skills by taking charge throughout the process. They planned where to donate the items, created flyers and advertising, promoted the event on the morning announcements, and bagged and organized the donations. BMES far exceeded the project goal by collecting 696 pounds of food for a local food bank.