The East Lake School has challenged Rainbow Creek Elementary School to see which school can collect the most amount of donations for the Chestermere Food Bank until Dec. 14.
The school that collects the least amount of food will have to wear the other schools’ colours for one day, and the administration team will have to buy the winning administration team a coffee.
“Students at East Lake have done a food drive the past few years. We felt this year was especially important with all the financial needs as a result of COVID-19,” said the East Lake School Assistant Principal, Shannon Storey-Heffer.
“COVID-19 has made schools feel disconnected from our community. We wanted to give back and remind people that students and staff are here as a support system. We are also missing the friendly rivalry between schools that is normally present because of sports. We thought challenging Rainbow Creek would be a fun way to keep some of that spirit going while doing something that helps those in need,” she said.
Accepting East Lake’s challenge was an easy decision, as Rainbow Creek Elementary School typically fundraises for the Chestermere Food Bank each year.
“We loved the idea of having some fun with another school in our community. We are happy to give back to the community,” said Rainbow Creek Elementary School Assistant Principal, Cristy Leonard-Glaspey.
Combined, East Lake School and Rainbow Creek Elementary School have collected nearly 5000 items,
however, the amount is changing every day as classes and teachers are competitive.
“Our students are loving the competitive piece of collecting and counting their items. They are very excited about the competition,” Leonard-Glaspey said.
She added, “We believe it is important for our students to understand ways that we can give back to the community and the positive way we can support others. This year it is even more important as we know it is tougher times due to COVID-19, and it feels good to do something for others during these times.”
