Cookson Elementary students tell Troy board about food drives, pumpkin patch and blankets for hospital patients

Cookson Elementary’s student council told the Troy City School District board Wednesday that its members run regular service projects supporting school and city programs. "Some ways that we help our school community is by helping the PTO..." a fifth-grade student who identified herself as Rosemary said, listing activities that include a pumpkin patch fundraiser, a canned-food drive for the local food kitchen and collecting aluminum can tabs for the Ronald McDonald House.

The students said the pumpkin project lets each student take one pumpkin home and the extras are sold to raise money for the PTO. They also described an upcoming project to make tied fleece blankets for children who spend extended time in hospitals, saying the blankets help patients feel "comfortable and warm." Board members asked how the council selects members and which grades participate; students said membership comes through class presentations and currently includes third through fifth grades.

The council’s presentation was followed by a brief question-and-answer session with board members. The board thanked the students and noted the value of young people learning to serve beyond their own classrooms.

The presentation was part of the board’s routine agenda and drew no formal action; the board moved on to committee reports and routine business after the students finished.