Tom Sawyer would be proud of these GCHS fence painters.

Graves County High School’s Second Annual Day of Service brightened the moods of participants, recipients, and the general public as much as the mostly sunny skies and temperatures that reached the lower 70s Friday, April 29. Organizer Michelle McKee, a GCHS teacher, said all involved learned from last year’s inaugural run and improved upon what already was considered a big success then.

In all, nearly 1,400 students travelled on 29 buses to 97 work sites. Activities ranged from playing kickball with elementary students to beautifying parks to filling sandbags to counteract flooding caused by recent storms. McKee thanked all involved, noting that principal R.B. Mays’ idea has accomplished a great deal and helped students and the community alike.

Mayfield-Graves County Community Education director Kim Wheeler helped McKee and others with the massive planning for the day. She said much of the work took place in Mayfield, including the downtown area, city parks, and nursing homes. One group filed historic photo negatives at Wells Studio. Several groups held fundraisers for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and other charities. They included a bake sale, grilled burger sack lunches, and several car washes.

“There were some individual homes where we helped elderly people and others who couldn’t paint their houses or clear debris from storms,” Wheeler said. “We went to all eight Graves County elementary schools and Mr. Mays even took a group to a neighboring county to help with sandbagging.”

GCHS Youth Services Center director Kaye Horn found a long line at one of the car wash fundraisers. “People were happy to wait in line, I think, because it all is such a positive project,” she said. “Every student and teacher I saw looked busy, whether it was washing cars, spreading mulch, or filling sandbags.”

“We had a great day with my homeroom. We pulled weeds and mulched downtown to start the day,” said GCHS Business/Information Technology Academy principal Christy Puckett. “In the afternoon, we painted an aluminum fence at Fifth and Water and got lots of compliments from people who stopped as they passed by.”

Puckett continued, “We found last year and again today that some students take advantage of the opportunity to shine in this environment, when they might even struggle with academics and in other areas. One student who has had some trouble reaching graduation took charge in a positive way, had more confidence than I’ve ever seen him show in school, and really emerged as a group leader! He had a smile on his face and interacted with his peers in very positive ways. I’d say it’s the best day he’s had at school ever! He saw himself as successful and his peers saw him that way, too. Every student I saw seemed to enjoy the day and several of them said so.”

“I sandbagged at this house at Columbus, where the water was already up around the house,” said student Hunter Harris. “The lady who lived there was overjoyed and couldn’t thank us enough. It gave me a good feeling and she was really nice to pay for us all to have a barbecue lunch!”

Another student, Jackson Willie, said, “We went to Wingo where they have Trade Day and picked up trash, then did gardening work at Wingo Elementary School. It was fun, I thought. It’s good to help people out, especially young kids. I thought things were better this year because we got to help more people and spread it out more.”

“We helped around the Court Square and mulched and planted flowers,” said Billie Lamb, who worked with friends. “We made it a good time and it was fun to help out the community. We had a lot of people ask us what we were doing and then really thanked us. The city Code Enforcement officers were our supervisors (William Higginson and Nathan Lamb). They were really nice and helped us out a lot.”

“My group went to Kiwanis Park and my part was to weed and mulch. We made the park better, like it was rejuvenated,” said Micah Huff. “Thank the Lord it was a beautiful day! I’m really looking forward to next year already.”

“I think it was a lot more productive today than last year,” Wheeler said. “Michelle McKee built on last year and had things even better organized. Everyone knew what they were supposed to do and did it.”

“I think we had a very successful day! Students were able to touch a lot of different areas of the community: government, churches, the elderly,” McKee said. “The biggest thing was we were able to spend time with a lot of our students out of the classroom in a different setting.”

She continued, “I want to take a moment to thank Jason Riley, Penny Rowe, and everyone in the district’s Transportation Department. They really took hold and rolled with the flow. I can’t think of a better transportation department in the world. Food services, the Central Office, Superintendent (Pete) Galloway, and so many others also were great!”

“Service Learning Funds that we receive each year through the Community Education Program helped pay $1,000 for transportation today and that was a big help,” Wheeler explained.

“We fed over 100 students at First United Methodist Church,” McKee said. “(Teacher) Shelina McClain’s class did a great job and the people with the church couldn’t stop bragging on them.” Wheeler added, “There was enough food left over to feed the local men’s shelter and Lighthouse Children’s Home, too.” Peel and Holland Insurance Agency sponsored the lunch.

Other organizations that provided students lunch include Trace Creek and Farmington Baptist churches, the Wingo Old Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Mid-Continent University, Oak Hills Swim Club, Morningside Assisted Living Center, and Cuba Elementary School. Turner Dairy and RC Cola made sure every student had bottled water.

"One elderly lady insisted on buying pizza for a group of students because she was so impressed,” said McKee. “Another lady was touched because the students painted her daughter’s house and did a great job on it. She said it was a Godsend.”

McKee added, “We had last minute changes. For example, with all the recent storms and flooding, sandbagging became necessary. Transportation again came in and said, ‘We’ll make it work.’ And, (Graves County) Judge/Executive Tony Smith and his office just got it all together at once and brought in 75 tons of sand to the Fairgrounds. There also was some sandbagging near the Clarks River in Symsonia.”

McKee concluded, “I think everybody was less nervous this year. They were a little apprehensive last year because it was a new and big project. Teachers and everyone else knew more of what to expect. Students seem to just love it. They were tired at the end of the day, but they were great and really enjoyed the experience. We thank everybody involved and know we’re teaching good lessons here. I believe these students will volunteer now throughout their lives. It was a great day and a great cause for hope for the future. It’s obvious Mr. Mays’ idea is a wonderful one and we’re building a tradition with it each year!”

Graves High’s Day of Service events raise more than $3,000 for charities

Graves County High School students raised more than $3,000 for charities on the school’s Second Annual Day of Service Friday, April 29. Eagle boys’ basketball coach Terry Birdsong, his team and homeroom raised $1,031 in memory of their one-time fellow student, the late Tori Waggoner. The car wash at Myers Lumber Company (pictured here) benefited St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. The Mayfield-Graves County Area Technology Center raised $1,000 from its grilled burger and hot dog lunch to help business students attend a national conference. A bake sale and car wash at Walgreens raised $700 for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Another car wash, at First National Bank, raised $345 for the Backpack Food Program of the Graves County Schools’ family resource and youth service centers. Yet another car wash, on the parking lot of Graves County Central Elementary School, raised $225 for the school’s Relay for Life team. All of the nearly 1,400 GCHS students performed various types of community service that day. Fundraisers were only one facet of the massive event.