Farragut, Hardin Valley, Northshore schools collect for Gatlinburg
Students and teachers in 20 Knox County Schools have reached out to help victims of the wildfires in Gatlinburg.
Farragut Middle and Farragut High schools, Hardin Valley Academy and Northshore Elementary School were among those Knox County Schools that have organized collections of cash and in-kind donations to help the victims.
After tragedy struck residents of Gatlinburg when wildfires destroyed homes and businesses in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, the schools stepped up to offer support, Abbey Harris, Knox County Schools public affairs specialist, said.
FMS students and faculty took up money for two days and then donated $1,608 to American Red Cross, FMS principal Wes Edmonds said
“There’s no limit to how much the kids will give back,” he said. “It’s truly amazing.”
FMS administrators and faculty were talking about having a relief effort at the school, when Edmonds said a teacher told him she was approached by a student who wanted to help as well.
“So we moved forward and took up cash donations,” he said. Teachers took up donations from students for two days.
“When we tallied up [the donations], it totaled $1,608,” he said. “I really was excited, especially since there was a lot of opportunities for students to give this year.”
The cash donations, as well as in-kind donations of toiletry items, supplies and protein bars, went to American Red Cross Dec. 1.
“We just wanted to help out,” Edmonds said. “We are so fortunate and blessed to have things, and when we turned on the television, we saw people struggling. We wanted to reach out and help.”
For some at FMS, the tragedy hit closer to home.
“We had a sixth grader, Zoe Butler, whose uncle’s house burned down,” Edmonds said.
Zoe said she saw people who lost everything in the fire.
“It made me sad to see it was happening,” she said. Zoe and her mother each donated $20 toward the relief effort at FMS.
“It makes me feel good and happy I could help the Gatlinburg people who have been hurt,” she said.
Likewise, FHS Student Government Association members took up donations during first-block classes, and Hardin Valley Academy held a drive for pets, cash donations and water, and HVA students also joined in the relief efforts.
“My classes decided to collect some goods to bring up Tuesday [Nov. 29],” Aslynn Halvorson, HVA teacher and assistant track coach, said. “I teach biology and currently am discussing ecological succession and its impacts of the environment in class.”
The lessons led her students to question the impacts on the people and the area affected by the wildfire and eventually to organizing a relief drive.
“I sent out a staff e-mail, asking for donations, and made a post on Twitter and the idea spread throughout the school quickly,” Halvorson said.
HVA’s men’s and women’s basketball teams also held a drive during its home games Thursday, Dec. 1, and National Honor Society held a drive, led by Rebecca Furman and Sierra Steele.
“This was truly a whole school, student-driven effort,” Halvorson said.
Furman said NHS donations went to help two teachers’ friends and family.
“Two of our teachers are from the area and asked for donations to help specific families they knew that were affected by the fires,” she said. NHS members collected clothing, diapers, toiletries, hats and gloves and gift cards to area stores.
“It broke my heart to see a city so close to me struggling like that,” Emily Moore, a HVA student, said. “This is something no one should ever have to go through. I wanted to do anything I could to help.”
HVA student Montana Cum said she and other Food City employees made donations to help victims in Gatlinburg.
“We would like to show those in our neighboring community how much we care with #prayersforgatlinburg,” Cum said.
Northshore Elementary School hosted a Dimes for Disaster effort with a goal to raise $1,000 for relief efforts. The school raised $3,000.
“We did a campaign, Dimes for Disaster last week,” third-grade teacher Jamie Welden said. “We sent an e-mail schoolwide to parents Tuesday, Nov. 29. By Thursday, we collected $3,000, which went to the American Red Cross.”
The idea came when Weldon and one of her teammates, Alyssa Hill, were talking about organizing a relief effort and what they could do.
“We asked the principal for permission to get something started,” Welden said. “One of the assistant principals had lost a home in the fire, so it was really personal for us.”
Welden said the students have been super about bringing in donations.
For the teachers, Welden said watching the children taking money from their piggy banks to donate was the most valuable experience of the campaign.
“It’s something you don’t normally learn in a classroom,” she said.
