Lead by World Geography teacher Natalie Morse, JCC members and students  across campus have donated $200 and toys to the Children’s Advocacy Center. Several groups from across campus have participated in the interdisciplinary unit concerning Christmas around the World with the goal of collecting gifts for children ages newborn to 17.

 

Morse, with the help from teachers all across campus, started doing service projects with her students in 2013.

 

 “We’re doing this for the Children’s Advocacy Center,” Morse said. “We start this project once every year. We wish to provide gifts for these children that are in need. It’s a group I know about that offers their services to Shelby County and we wanted to commit some of our services to them. That’s why we chose the Children’s Advocacy Center.”

 

Morse, along with other teachers and students, wants to give to the people in the most need. Shelby County provides a lot for the people that reside there. People should try to help kids who require assistance the most to show how much Shelby County cares about others.

 

“I hope that they will come away with a better understanding of what kids at Shelby County go through,” Morse said. “I feel that it’s our job to give back to our community and prove to others that it’s not just about us. I hope some will take empathy away from this and understand that they are lucky and some others are not so lucky. It’s the lucky ones’ responsibility in a way.”

 

Morse and the rest of the history department are starting her Cultural Beliefs unit in classes. They planned the unit, then ideas raced through their brains with how they could help anyone with the need.

 

“At this point,” Morse said, “we have all of the U.S History classes of the High School campus, and all of the Geography classes on our campus. We also have had some cross-curricular lessons. Some of the English classes have participated in Holidays Around the World.”

 

This isn’t the first year Center High School has taken part in a project such as Christmas Around the World. Last year, an earthquake relief fund was held, in which they sold shirts and hosted a 5 kilometer race where they raised $500.

 

“This is our 3rd year to do it. We wanted to benefit some local issues. We talked about moving our service project from the end of the year to the beginning of the year so we can focus a little more on it.”

 

CHS senior, Whitney Thomas, designed a shirt to help support Christmas Around the World. Shirts that are sold will serve as a donation to the Advocacy Center.

 

“In this case,” Morse said, “all proceeds from the sale of these shirts goes to the Shelby County Advocacy Center as a voluntary donation so that they may purchase additional gifts for students or members of their group.”