Edwardsville students work to help others in the community in pre-holidays campaign

Jan 3, 2017 3:05 PM Jan 3, 2017 6:04 PM

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EDWARDSVILLE - There is a lot to be said about learning community service lessons while attending school.

Edwardsville High School makes it an unwritten focal point under Student Council Sponsor/Spanish teacher Melissa Beck to help others in the community.

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During the Christmas season, several EHS students spent time visiting senior citizens and conducting a food drive for families. There is a contest in the Edwardsville School District to see which school can bring in the most baskets. Student Council donates gift cards for some of its winners, Beck said.

“As soon as homecoming is over, Student Council dives right in to try and help out the students in our district and their families,” Beck said. “During Halloween, the Student Council members go trick-or-treating for canned goods for the Glen-Ed Pantry. Right after that, Student Council does a food drive for families in our district with its contest to see who can bring in the most food baskets. The student council provides gift cards for some of the winners.”

“Doing good things for others is part of the unwritten curriculum that we have at EHS. The kids learn leadership skills, how to work together as a team, putting the greater good above yourself, organizational skills, not to judge a book by its cover, emotional intelligence, empathy and confidence. I have seen that since this district put forth the request for activities to do community service that this has snowballed.”

Beck said the work at EHS allows the students to see that one person can make a difference in the world.

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“Sometimes I hear standard complaints of ‘I'm scared for our future because these kids can’t...' but I look at all of the wonderful things that our kids do to make a difference and I have immense hope for our future! I see how much they enjoy doing the community service activities and that in itself warms my heart.

“Of course, once they are inspired by the results of their actions they can't wait to do more. They are learning to be good people and help their fellow human. I actually think that this is one of the most important lessons in life because we remember how others treat us and all of this work has a positive effect on our community.”

Beck said her hope is in the future, the youth will take what they have learned into their lives and the community.

“Once these kids are older they will go out into the world and spread the love,” Beck said.