ISD Students Help Others During District’s 150th Anniversary

Each of our 29 schools is doing their own event or service project this school year as part of our 150th anniversary in the Independence School District. The 150^th anniversary of the district is the perfect time for students and staff to reflect on the rich history of the district while also showing compassion and giving back to the Independence community.

Students at Spring Branch Elementary collected more than 700 items, including books, snacks and paper towels to donate to the Salvation Army shelter. The Spring Branch Service Club organized the collection, and students donated the items throughout the week.

Students at Korte Elementary held an assembly honoring Independence first responders, including police officers, firefighters and EMTs. Students performed and presented a gift to the first responders at the assembly and ended the day with a special reception to show their appreciation. The story was featured by KMBC 9 News.

Bridger Middle School held a choir concert where they performed songs representing the last 150 years. The concert included student narration and a multimedia presentation to accompany the performance.

Middle School IMPACT students set a goal to collect 150 items from each ISD middle school to donate to the City Union Mission. In just one week, the students collected 1, 379 items. The students donated the items, toured the facilities and spent an afternoon volunteering at the City Union Mission.

In honor of the district’s 150th anniversary, this year’s Benton Bicycle Rodeo ended with a bicycle parade from the current Benton Elementary School building to where the school originally stood when it was built in 1903. When the current school opened in 1951, the principal and students walked to their new school. At the parade, families retraced the path on bikes, trikes, scooters and on foot to see the retaining wall that still stands at the original site.

Each grade level at Benton Elementary made 150 valentines for cancer patients at Centerpoint Medical Center. The staff at Centerpoint was so touched, they made valentines for the students as well! The story was featured in local reports on Fox 4 News and in The Examiner.

Students and staff at Sycamore Hills Elementary collected 1,728 food and household items for those in need this holiday season. 2nd grade student Phoebe Brown found a $100 winning lottery ticket recently and told her parents she’d like that money to go for the food drive. Her story was featured by television news stations across the country with local reports on KCTV 5 News, Fox 4 News, and 41 Action News. Phoebe and the entire 2nd grade shaved the beard of beloved PE teacher Mr. Horseman as a reward for their generosity.

Fairmount Elementary gathered 150 items from each grade level to support a community organization. Kindergarten students collected 150 food items for Harvesters. First grade students also collected 150 cans for Harvesters along with blankets and sippy cups. Second grade students wrote 150 letters of support for Independence Police officers. Third grade students donated blankets and sippy cups to Children’s Mercy Hospital. Fourth grade students donated paper towels, towels, blankets, treats and toys to Wayside Waifs. Fifth grade students donated 150 pairs of socks to Hope House. Fairmount held a wonderful assembly where students presented these items to the charity organizations and celebrated the spirit of giving for the ISD’s 150th. For their efforts, Fairmount was recognized as the Children’s Mercy Community Volunteer of the Month.

Mill Creek Elementary set a goal to raise $150.00 for Community Services League for the Independence School District’s 150th anniversary. Mill Creek Student Council members collected and counted the money and also shopped for groceries to purchase holiday meals for families in need. Students presented the donation to CSL ahead of the holiday season.

Independence Academy started their celebration of the Independence School District’s 150th anniversary with a food drive to benefit the Independence Salvation Army. They are calling it “150 Years of Giving” to celebrate the ISD’s 150 years of giving back to the Independence community. This culminated with a “Holiday Happenings” family night that allowed families to enjoy dinner, crafts, family photos and an elementary music performance.

Santa Fe Trail Elementary planned to collect more than 150 food items for the November holidays. Students and staff made a giving tree where they added leaves as they donated. Santa Fe surpassed its goal by gathering near 500 food items for those in need.

Blackburn Elementary is celebrating the ISD’s 150th anniversary by planting 150 daffodil bulbs. Students voted on the project and took pride in planting them in October. Look for bright pops of color around the Blackburn sign in the spring!

Van Horn held an open house and celebration by welcoming students, families and the community to celebrate the spirit of the school and the Independence School District’s 150th.

Luff Elementary is celebrating the Independence School District’s 150th anniversary with 150 “Salvy splashes” before December to celebrate student success. Principal Melissa Carver says this reflects the passion her teachers and staff have for their students, “We chose this project because we appreciate the joy and celebration Salvador Perez shares for the Royals’ success. We want that same joy and celebration for student success at Luff.” Each “Salvy splash” involves a Gatorade bucket filled with shredded paper being gently tossed over a student to celebrate their success.

Procter Elementary is celebrating the ISD’s 150th anniversary with 150 kind acts. These acts of kindness are displayed on a tree in the school’s front lobby and will remain there throughout the year. Principal Amy Hawley says it’s a joy to see how proud the students are to share their kindness, “When they get to share all of the kind things they are doing, they are beaming with pride. This ties in perfectly with our caring culture here at Procter and always being respectful and responsible.”

Ott Elementary is celebrating the ISD’s 150th anniversary with a service project each month. Students and teachers collected 150 socks for Hope House. They also collected 150 books to distribute at the 150^th anniversary parade. Ott also plans to donate 150 items to the Great Plains SPCA and make 150 Valentines for area senior citizens.

Students at Glendale Elementary wrote 150 letters of appreciation to the Independence Police Department Canine Unit. The letters were presented to the officers at an assembly.

Pioneer Ridge is focused on compassion for our community by collecting 150 cleaning supplies and household items per pod for local families in need. Pioneer Ridge students and staff plan to donate 750 items to Independence families in need when they finish their collection.

Make sure to follow the Independence School District on Facebook and Twitter to see photos, videos and updates from all of our schools as we celebrate 150 years of learning in the ISD.