School’s back in today, but before kids bolted for the holidays, I had the distinct honor of meeting Merriman Park Elementary’s Keysa Hardin and her teacher Larry Owens, who, on the last school day of 2011 presented several crates of canned goods to the Salvation Army.
Owens heads up the school’s development program for special needs students. This holiday season, his 12 enrollees led a holiday food drive. In the weeks before winter break, Keysa and her peers went classroom to classroom telling other kids and teachers about the food collection for The Salvation Army. The MPE community responded by donating pounds upon pounds of goods.
The experience was a positive one for both development program students and the student body in general, principal Laurie Taylor says.
Owens adds that the drive was a confidence booster for his students as well as a tool for learning independence.
Keysa Hardin and teacher Larry Owens prepare for the arrival of Salvation Army reps.
Principal Laurie Taylor helps Keysa Hardin into her Santa's Little Helper costume.
Milton Orellana and Robin Molina from Salvation Army accept a vast collection of canned goods from Merriman Park Elementary student Keysa Hardin and teacher Larry Owens.
On the last day of school, Keysa and her classmates got a surprise visit from Santa.
