In May, I brought you the story of a group of students at Chestermere Lake Middle School (CLMS) that had launched a new initiative to give back. Earlier this year, CLMS began a club called Student Voice that empowered students from every grade level and background to come together for the purpose of creating positive changes in the school and the greater community.
As students at Chestermere Lake Middle School found themselves devastated and feeling empathy for the citizens of Fort McMurray during the wildfires, they knew that something had to be done. The students rallied together an organized a donations program in which all CLMS students, staff, and family members were being asked to donate gift cards, cash, and toiletries.
This initiative went incredibly well according to Catherine Masson, a teacher at CLMS, and the students were nominated for a grant and then went on to win the grant – a $750 grant.
On June 28th, the Calgary Education Partnership Foundation presented a $750 cheque to the CLMS Student Voice Prime Minister, Haley Kennedy, and Vice Prime Minister, Harjot Rai.
The students went above and beyond to help our neighbors up in Fort McMurray. They created a total of nineteen backpacks for the children in Fort McMurray and filled these backpacks with school supplies such as pencils, calculators, binders, paper, earbuds, and much more.
They also collected toiletries, and were able to create six baby bags for the mothers and fathers of newborns. These bags were filled with diapers, wipes, food, and toiletries. The group also successfully collected two shoeboxes with essentials for adults, which are filled with toiletries, and everyday items they need.
The group stated that, “We decided to take on this mission because of the devastating fire in Fort McMurray. We were all worried for the victims of the fire because they have lost all of their personal belongings, some of which they may never get back. So here at CLMS we decided to do something about it”.
Good work Student Voice and Chestermere Lake Middle School!
