IN Greensburg Salem Summer 2019 | Page 32

Cultivating Compassion Metzgar Sisters Build Lending Library T eachers and parents strive to give students the tools they need for successful futures. For Alyssa and Morgan Barber, ACTUAL tools were what they were handed to help build a Lending Library for their community in March! Alyssa, a 4th grader at Metzgar Elementary, and her sister Morgan, in kindergarten, were among a hardworking crew of youngsters to help build and paint the Lending Library, which will be placed in Rose Wigfield Parklet in Delmont. It will be stocked with books and canned goods for members of the community. Anyone can add or take a book or food as they wish. An old entertainment center was repurposed to create the library. A triangular roof with shingles was added to help protect it from the elements. Habitat for Humanity Allegheny Valley donated all of the materials and supplies needed to turn something old into a new and creative book-sharing station. Alyssa and Morgan were proud to volunteer to help with the Lending Library. “I love to read, and this project will help others be able to read,” said Alyssa. Morgan stated, “I had fun painting with all the other kids!” 30 GREENSBURG SALEM continued Metzgar Elementary’s 2019 Kindness Project Each year, students and staff at Metzgar Elementary take on a school-wide project to promote kindness, compassion, and friendship. A group of fifth-grade girls initiated this year’s project and took the lead on carrying it out in their school. The students designed and taught an age- appropriate lesson for each grade level to encourage acts of kindness, then worked with the classes to begin an art project that everyone would contribute to. Each student was given a square of paper to decorate and detail with ways they could show kindness to one another at school or at home. The completed squares will become a large art display in the hallways of Metzgar. The project not only allowed the 5th grade students to take a leadership role within the building, but also promoted Metzgar’s positive behavior program which encourages efforts of spreading kindness across our school and community. 5th grader Abby Saville taught a kindness lesson in her brothers’ Austin and Asher’s kindergarten class. Annual GSHS Mini-THON Supports Four Diamonds W hat started as a senior project four years ago has carried over to an annual tradition that brings together students, teachers, and the entire GS community to fundraise for Four Diamonds, an organization whose mission is to conquer childhood cancer. The Mini-THON team hustled all year hosting fundraisers, from flocking yards with flamingos to flipping pancakes, culminating the project with the 12-hour Mini-THON event in March. The big reveal displayed a staggering figure…over $50,000.00 was raised over the course of the year! Mini-THON’s leaders- Allie Zahorchak, Dajauhn Hertzog, Natalia Zucco, Keara Lint, and Malia Anderson- couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishments. “This project has become so much more than a number. We do this so families do not have to hurt anymore and so children don’t have to be in pain. We are so grateful to have experienced such a great thing, and we will always be ‘For the Kids’, ” said Allie. Photo Credit: Jeremy Lenzi