Dec. 17, 2018 ~ At Olathe West High School, students gathered to do good for others in the school and in the community. Why? Because they Give a Hoot!
The second annual Give a Hoot community service project kicked off in November at Olathe West to give students an opportunity to make an impact on others in the community.
“Oftentimes, we can get so busy and wrapped up in our own world and our own problems, we forget that it's important to appreciate and help others along the way,” Olathe West teacher Julie Fishburn said. “Give a Hoot was a way that we could teach our students empathy and help them learn that giving is more important than receiving. Doing something nice or helpful for another is humbling and no matter how big or small the project or gesture is, it is always very much appreciated!”
Some of the projects the students worked on include adopting a family to buy and wrap gifts for Christmas, making cookies and thank you gifts for employees in the building, writing cards for residents of a local nursing home, making stockings and providing gifts to children battling cancer, collecting blankets and food for the Olathe Animal Shelter, collecting food and other items for the Mission Southside Backsnack program. This list goes on and on.
“It’s incredible to see the students embracing these projects,” Fishburn said. “It’s been a tremendous event.”
On Dec. 13, the school celebrated the work of the Give a Hoot campaign with an all-school assembly.
“Our celebration assembly was student led and included an e-program made by the students, performances by the choir, orchestra and band, a student speaker, a student poem, student testimonials and two videos of the kids in action. One video highlighted what the advisories have done this year for Give a Hoot and the second showcased our sports, clubs and activities and the volunteer activities that they have completed throughout the year,” Fishburn said.
Give a Hoot is expected to be a yearly event for Olathe West High School.
“The Give a Hoot Project has very quickly become a tradition here at Olathe West,” Principal Jay Novacek said. “I am proud of our entire student body and the way they have completely jumped in to make our community — both at West and Olathe as a whole — a better place. The wide variety of projects from small to large will benefit many people for a very long time. My hope is that our students have learned that giving back, serving your community, makes you a better person and a happier person. I hope that service to others is something our students will continue long after their time at West and that we have created lifetime servants to others.”
