They then had to research which local organizations help the homeless community and decide which one to support. The students decided they would like to support the Durango Community Shelter which is run by Volunteers of America. The kids drafted letters explaining their intentions and desire to help with landscaping, raising money, doing a food drive, or donating toys to the shelter.
The Durango Community Shelter expressed the greatest interest in having the kids come and help with some landscaping jobs. On Monday, May 15th we took a field trip to the shelter to complete some projects such as spreading mulch, building some raised garden beds, picking up trash, and pulling weeds. The field trip was a huge success and the shelter grounds look beautiful! This project was made possible through several donations from families and AJ's Greenhouse as well as help from some of our 5th grade parents.
The students were from Beth Lohr's 5th grade class (currently taught by Adrienne Clerici, long-term sub for Beth's maternity leave) and Breanna Johnson's 2nd grade class. Other helpers from 9R were paraprofessionals, Billie Thorpe and Erin Price. We had 3 parent helpers, too.