AUBURN - Stacks of canned goods filled East Middle School's loading dock last week.
There were 2,648 cans to be exact.
That's how many cans the students at the middle school in the Auburn Enlarged City School District collected during a two-week food drive in December. Organized by the student government, all of the food collected was donated to the Auburn Salvation Army's food pantry for the 13th consecutive year.
Can collection numbers have increased this year, up from 2,490 in 2006. The middle school's all-time collection record still stands at 5,518 cans in 2003.
“I'm just thrilled that they have some feeling of responsibility for helping people that are not as fortunate as they are,” said principal Diane Dolcemascolo of the students. “We try to make sure with all of the typical education - reading, writing, arithmetic - to teach these values of giving and volunteering to our students. That's important.”
The Salvation Army will present East Middle School with a plaque commemorating the donation during the Jan. 8 meeting to be hung next to the dozen other plaques presented over the years.
“It's just an amazing thing when kids at such a young age are aware of other people's needs and are reaching out to those people in need,” said Traci Cregan, captain of the Auburn Salvation Army. “These young kids have a concern for other people. Not everyone in the world has a concern for others.”
Every year, the middle school offers a pizza party for the three homerooms that collected the most cans.
This year, that number has become four, as eight cans separated third and fourth place. All four are sixth grade homerooms.
MaryJo Turner's homeroom collected 726 cans; Meg Tenity's homeroom collected 428; Christine Strodel's homeroom collected 213; and Tom Quest's homeroom collected 205.
Once the collection ended Dec. 19, they were placed in boxes on the loading dock. Kent Brandstetter, who sits on the Salvation Army board, picked up the boxes and delivered them to the food pantry.
“I try to support the concept of community partnerships,” said Brandstetter, who is also president of the Cayuga-Onondaga Board of Cooperative Educational Services' Board of Education. “It's certainly been a wonderful partnership with East Middle and the Salvation Army.”
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net or 253-5311 ext. 239
That's how many cans the students at the middle school in the Auburn Enlarged City School District collected during a two-week food drive in December. Organized by the student government, all of the food collected was donated to the Auburn Salvation Army's food pantry for the 13th consecutive year.
Can collection numbers have increased this year, up from 2,490 in 2006. The middle school's all-time collection record still stands at 5,518 cans in 2003.
“I'm just thrilled that they have some feeling of responsibility for helping people that are not as fortunate as they are,” said principal Diane Dolcemascolo of the students. “We try to make sure with all of the typical education - reading, writing, arithmetic - to teach these values of giving and volunteering to our students. That's important.”
The Salvation Army will present East Middle School with a plaque commemorating the donation during the Jan. 8 meeting to be hung next to the dozen other plaques presented over the years.
“It's just an amazing thing when kids at such a young age are aware of other people's needs and are reaching out to those people in need,” said Traci Cregan, captain of the Auburn Salvation Army. “These young kids have a concern for other people. Not everyone in the world has a concern for others.”
Every year, the middle school offers a pizza party for the three homerooms that collected the most cans.
This year, that number has become four, as eight cans separated third and fourth place. All four are sixth grade homerooms.
MaryJo Turner's homeroom collected 726 cans; Meg Tenity's homeroom collected 428; Christine Strodel's homeroom collected 213; and Tom Quest's homeroom collected 205.
Once the collection ended Dec. 19, they were placed in boxes on the loading dock. Kent Brandstetter, who sits on the Salvation Army board, picked up the boxes and delivered them to the food pantry.
“I try to support the concept of community partnerships,” said Brandstetter, who is also president of the Cayuga-Onondaga Board of Cooperative Educational Services' Board of Education. “It's certainly been a wonderful partnership with East Middle and the Salvation Army.”
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net or 253-5311 ext. 239
