As a way to show appreciation to men and women in the military, students at Archbishop Neale school in La Plata sent care packages overseas.
“They help us out, so we want to help them out,” Jacob Inderrieden, 11, said.
Students broke into the school’s family groups, where students from different classes come together to become a makeshift family for the school year. Each family group had an opportunity to put together a care package made up of donated items such as toiletries, movies, writing supplies and blank note cards.
The service project was part of Catholic Schools Week, though the school participates in various service projects through the year.
Karen McElhenny, a fifth-grade teacher at the school, said when staff sat down to think up a service project, military personnel came to mind almost instantly for her and others as sort of a “natural service project.”
McElhenny has a husband, children and in-laws who are all in the military and have served in Afghanistan and Iraq, though none of them are currently overseas.
Interim Principal Peggy Howard said students were sending packages to seven soldiers overseas and three of those soldiers are family members of current students.
Maria Poley, 7, was working on personalizing a card for a soldier when she was asked why it was important to send packages to servicemen.
“Because of what they do. ... They fight the mean men,” she said.
Maria said she wrote “Thank you” on the front of her card to show appreciation.
Every student wrote a thank-you card to include in the packages.
“It’s amazing just to see the students’ spirit,” Howard said as students were busily collecting items for packages in one room and decorating cards in another.
The packages were shipped Tuesday afternoon.
gphillips@somdnews.com
