Nineteen girls from the THS Kittens dance team stuffed 160 backpacks with school supplies.
The backpacks were donated by Target last fall, which along with 10 churches, the Temple Lions Club, the Temple Rotary Club, the Temple HELP Center and Time Warner Cable, sponsor the initiative.
“Last October, (a former manager) at Target called us and offered to donate their leftover school supplies after the back-to-school shopping season,” TISD spokeswoman Regina Baird said.
That ended up being more than 10,000 items, she said.
“After the donation, we kind of brainstormed, trying to figure out ways to get the business community and general public involved in our district,” Ms. Baird said. “That’s when we decided on the initiative.”
Partners in Education will start working directly with students during the upcoming school year.
Ms. Baird said 60 of the backpacks packed on Thursday would be earmarked for selected students in the fall.
“We’re going to have a pilot group of students who we will initially serve through the initiative,” Ms. Baird said. “Aside from the backpacks, these students will receive guidance from community leaders as part of a mentor program we will offer.”
The students will get to know their adult mentors through discussions and events like luncheons, Ms. Baird said. “They will have one-on-one contact to try to provide them with positive role models.
“As a school district, we have a very unique opportunity to impact the lives of children who may not otherwise have positive role models,” she said. “Statistics indicate that children who have verbal contact with at least one adult on a regular basis are more likely to be successful students.”
Thursday, several Kitten members said they were happy to be volunteering for the initiative, after being asked by their new coach Christina Dewveall, who gave them merit for participating.
“It’s exciting to be inside the school working on something constructive,” said senior dance officer Callee Wilkerson, 17. “It’s a really positive way to kind of kick off the school year.”
Kittens stuffed the backpacks with items ranging from pens and pencils to Kleenex, breaking them down by gender and grouped grade-levels, depending upon supply needs.
“I think it’s going to help our chemistry,” Miss Wilkerson said. “We’ve been working in a line, doing different jobs and communicating with each other. There has been a lot of teamwork involved.”
Freshman Shelby Rogers, 14, said it felt good to be doing something nice for people.
“I was asking my (teammates) if school had started, because we’re sitting here putting all of these things in backpacks. It really made it feel like we were back in class doing things,” Miss Rogers said.
For information about “Partners in Education,” contact the TISD administrative office at 254-215-8473. School starts on Aug. 26.
