Every school year, there is one successful charity that comes around every year: The Can Drive! This annual event starts from January 21 and goes to January 31. Many teams compete against each other to see who can get more cans. The total amount of cans this past year was an astounding 654 cans, with Maroon Team leading with 245 cans, Yellow Team in 2nd place with 164 cans, and Orange Team in third with 107 cans. Our teachers are very proud of all students, even if they didn’t contribute much, which is why we will be highlighting some teachers that encouraged our students a lot to donate.
First off, we have Mr. Paulhus, who is very impressed with the amount of work that his “fine Americans” have put into the Can Drive. With a whopping 245 cans, Maroon Team had taken first place with a ginormous lead of 81 cans, making them hard to compete with. He was amazed at how they persisted and kept putting cans in the boxes, which was how they got into the lead and won.
The Yellow Team science teacher, Mrs. Cote was very proud of her students. She said, “The Can Drive is a great cause for the town.” Also, social studies teacher, Ms. Sainz was very proud of the efforts that her students took to meet and exceed the goal of 100 cans. “I am so proud of the Yellow Team students’ and families’ participation in the Can Drive. Everyone stepped up and we exceeded our team goals all for such a great cause.” Ms. Sainz says.
After that, we have the Orange Team, with 107 cans and items. Mrs. Greenwald was very amazed at what the students were doing just for a simple food drive. “I think they did an amazing job, and I feel proud of what they have accomplished for the Food Bank.” Mrs. Greenwald says. On one day, the Orange Team students actually brought in more than 30 cans for the bank, which is a lot, considering that this is just a simple food drive. But this came with a prize for the entire team, which encouraged people in their heads to bring items.
Mrs. Lim from Blue Team was absolutely beaming with pride as she spoke about her students’ efforts. She enthusiastically said, “I am absolutely proud of our students! They did a wonderful job. I want to recognize one student in my class who brought in an impressive number of cans!” She was determined to get as many donations as possible, so she took a creative—if not, slightly intense—approach to motivate her students. To ensure participation, she firmly encouraged them to bring in cans, even going as far as warning that she would call and email their parents if they didn’t contribute. This strategy certainly worked, as students quickly responded to the challenge, resulting in a fantastic total of 42 cans collected for their team. Mrs. Lim couldn’t have been happier with the outcome, knowing that her students had come together for a great cause. Their teamwork, enthusiasm, and willingness to rise to the challenge made the effort a true success.
Ms. Martin from Purple Team was not surprised about the total of cans that the students brought in, but, rather, the enthusiasm and perseverance that the students put into the Drive that ensured for more cans. Unfortunately for them, they did not win, but it was the effort that counted and mattered. “There was always one student who was encouraging classmates to bring in cans every day for the Purple Team.” Even though the team didn’t win, the grit and strive made it possible to get into the top 5.
Mr. Kennedy from Red Team was astonished at how many cans the entire school had collected for the drive. Many teams were ecstatic of what they had done, but Mr. Kennedy knew that there could be more just than getting cans. “The drive might have ended, but, then again, it’s never too late to donate!” What Mr. Kennedy means that, even if the drive ended, you can always donate annually, if not, monthly.
The Can Drive is an amazing way to donate food and home necessities for people in need of these resources. Collectively, as a school, we did an amazing job raising lots of cans for the drive. We thank everyone who contributed in donating to this important cause. As an entire school, donating to people should not be a need, but a cause for the wellbeing of our neighborhood.
