Chatter fills the room as dozens of students work together with a smile on their faces. They fill bags with blankets, gloves and hygiene products, with the intent of distributing them to a good cause.
On Nov. 15, Texas High Leadership students went to Arkansas High to collaborate with their student council and others in the area. They worked together for a uniform cause: giving back to the community.
“We’re making the bags for the homeless,” junior Bryce DePriest said. “We will take them to Randy Sams and hand them out. It’s gonna be a good time, and I’m really glad we’re able to share it with the homeless and build communities together.”
Instead of containing the project to the school, students decided to join forces with other schools in the area. This allowed them to show that outside of sports, the schools can work together towards the same goal.
“We collaborated with Arkansas High and not just that but all the other schools here in a way to just make our community see that yes, we are rivals but we do want to work together,” senior Jadyn Johnson said. “Just because we are rivals doesn’t mean that we can make our community stronger and it really just helps with bonding and making our community as one.”
A local group came up with the idea and planned the event and gave students the opportunity to give back to the community.
“Just Love and Kindness, a local nonprofit, sponsored the event. Laura Klein, the founder of the group, does this in memory of her son, a Texas High alumni. She does all of the planning, the fundraising and getting the volunteers,” leadership teacher Susan Waldrep said. “Our ‘why’ is for our students to learn about the importance of taking care of our community and to raise awareness of the organizations we have in place in Texarkana. It’s also the importance of teaming together with others to solve a problem.”
Some students participated in an event like this for the first time and doing so caused a shift in perspective because they saw a first-hand account of a life different from theirs.
“This year is actually my first year to come here and put these bags together so that’s one thing different, but also in my perspective, getting into it is a little different,” Johnson said. “Going around Texarkana day to day, you don’t really think to just stop and look at the individuals on the side [of the road]. Going into this year, I paid more attention to it knowing that we would come here and make these [bags] today, so it was definitely more meaningful than last year.”
The students performed this act of kindness and service to show support during a time of hardship to those who received the bags. The recipients will have something less to worry about during the upcoming cold months with the products in the bag.
“These bags are just a way that we can show the community that we care for them and I just think it’s a really good way to reach out and just show the community that we have hope for them and they should have hope for themselves,” Johnson said. “I just hope that this really impacts our community in a way where it makes others feel that we see them and that we see what they’re going through, and that we’re with them every single step of the way, and that we just want what’s best for them.”
