South students collect donations for Animal Shelter
On Friday morning, a school bus full of South Elementary students pulled up in front of the Stephens County Animal Shelter and students marched off in single file, carrying buckets, bags and boxes of donations for the animals inside. The students were members of Fifth Grade Teacher Marlene Coplen’s Breakfast Club.
“We started a breakfast clubs this year,” said South Elementary Principal Kenna Rainey, explaining that each group includes a mixed grade level of students who meet with a staff member for breakfast. “This is where we did our ‘Wonder’ book reading that we talked about so much first semester.”
Students from Marlene Coplen’s South Elementary breakfast club tour the Stephens County Animal Shelter on Friday after bringing donations they collected. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
She said Coplen, with her group of fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students, decided to find a kindness service project for her group, and keep the kindness theme going through the second semester.
Rainey said they collected donations for the animal shelter all week from everyone in the school and then delivered the items to the shelter on Friday. She said the animal shelter gave them a list of items they could use and they had it on the school announcements all week. The kids collected dog food, cat food, toys, treats, money, blankets and towels. She said the idea is to teach the kids about kindness and giving back.
Rainey said they plan to try and keep keep each breakfast club together with the same teacher each year.
“Mrs. Coplen will keep her same group next year, and we’ll add (new) fourth graders,” she said. “It’s what I call our little school families.”
After the kids dropped off the donations at the front counter of the shelter, Animal Control Officers Christina Hebert and Leigha Riddle took the kids on a tour of the shelter facility where they were able to pet some of the cats and dogs.
Story by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan
Cutline, top photo: Fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students brought buckets, bags and boxes full of donations for the Stephens County Animal Shelter. They collected the items as part of a kindness project. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
After presenting their donations to the Stephens County Animal Shelter on Friday, the students in Marlene Coplen’s breakfast club at South Elementary had a chance to tour the shelter and pet some of the dogs and cats. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
