Students raise money for copter
Hope to get others involved in project
By Bobbi Mlynar
Originally published 01:46 p.m., October 9, 2007
Updated 01:46 p.m., October 9, 2007
OLPE — Olpe’s seventh- and eighth-graders have taken on a project they hope will spread to schools throughout the area.
The students were in Michelle Barnhart’s English class, preparing entries for the annual Veterans Day Poster and Essay Contest, when talk turned to a story about the Vietnam-era helicopter that went on display in May at the Veterans Memorial in Emporia.
Three crew members who served on the helicopter have begun a drive to raise money to paint the chopper and close off the cockpit so birds no longer can nest in it. After discussion, the youngsters decided they wanted to help. And at Olpe, when one group starts a charity project, other groups chip in to help. Pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students have decided to participate.
Juniors at Olpe High School set out a tip jar for the project when they worked the concession stand recently.
“The band was in charge the first night when they got the tip jar going,” said Barnhart. “I told the kids that it’s amazing how one small effort can grow with enthusiasm.”
The classes will find other ways to make giving simple and painless. The two tip-jar nights brought in $21.56. An eighth-grader was invited to write an article about the project for the school newspaper, which is mailed to the entire Olpe community.
“I was really excited to hear that our newspaper advisor, Mrs. Marilyn Stueve, was eager to help us promote the project,” Barnhart said. “I can already feel the enthusiasm building with the students.”
Last week, seventh- and eighth-graders planned to create a letter to send to other schools, inviting them to join the drive and try to raise more money than Olpe.
“They want to contact schools where their cousins went, or friends, or whatever go,” Barnhart said. “We’re going to go right up to Veterans Day and I’m pretty sure that by the time we get this rolling, it’ll be just about a month.”
The project also brought unexpected information to light as the classes did their preliminary background work before beginning.
“I did not realize how many of my students had relatives serving in Iraq right now,” Barnhart said.
create (anonymous) says...
Love those Eagles!!!!!You go kids, and remember, when Eagles soar, everyone looks up.
October 9, 2007 at 4:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )