NYC Fundraising Progress, Trip Points Tracker, and Info Board

Just wanted to show off our beautiful bulletin board that we're using to get the students excited about the trip and let them know where they stand in regards to "trip points." We also use it to post updates as to when we'll have our next after-school meeting, and how far along we are in fundraising using our Statue of Liberty .

The poster is an old black-and-white photograph of Times Square in the early 1900s.

The board is located in the middle school hallway where all of our eighth graders pass at least once a day. It's always exciting to see the students gather around when we update the students' "trip points" tracker. We are seeing more and more investment in the trip every day!

Trash Clean-up Community Service

In an effort to help our students see the importance of bettering their community and help them develop a sense of pride in “earning” their way on our trip to New York, we had our first official community service event of the year.

Mr. Franks, Ms. Key, and Mr. Neuwirth spent this past Wednesday afternoon with our students cleaning up litter and trash around downtown and Main Street in Marvell. We took the opportunity to explain how littering is bad for the environment and how many items stick around for long after we’re gone because they are not biodegradable. At one point, the students were even racing each other to see who could pick up the most trash!

Overall, it was clear that the students appreciated the opportunity to help out their community and feel like they were making a difference.

Stay tuned for information about our next community service event, during which we are planning to help out at the Phillips County Humane Society.