Students volunteer to arrive at school early for community service

As the United States continues to deal with a particularly rough hurricane season, more than 100 fourth and fifth graders arrived at Colonial Elementary School an hour early to make a difference in the lives of children just like them. “I’m here because the first meeting was hurricane relief,” said a fourth grader named Blake. “I knew there were hurricanes, and I wanted to help.” This year’s first project for the community service club paired Colonial Elementary School with a fourth grade class in Houston. The CES students focused their efforts on encouraging people to donate spare change that will be used to purchase supplies for classrooms that were damaged in the storms. The children had a choice of making posters, writing speeches or folding the donation boxes. “I think it’s amazing to see how these kids want to give back to their community and how, just from the bottom of their hearts, they want to help others,” said Teacher Michele Yavorsky. “That’s what they get out of it, and it’s inspiring to watch them give.” CES Cares meets monthly and offers different service projects throughout the year.