Easton NHS has a very active community service schedule

Easton NHS

has a very active community service schedule

By Meghan Frank

Easton NHS president

    This year the Easton Chapter of the National Honor Society has been very active in creating and carrying out service projects, which help our local community and state. We have successfully completed four service projects and are currently planning two more.

    EASTON NHS  — Members of the National Honor Society at Easton High School are, from left, front row: Abigail Poole, Amanda Dayringer, Jessica Bennett, Danielle Dudley, Meghan Frank, Lauren West, Carla Halvorson, Mindy Desmond and Samantha Buck. Back row: Kennedy Young, Holden Turner, Reid Clark, Jonah Bacon, Harvey Brown and Ariana Babineau.

    Our first project was entitled “Paper for Pets.” Our local animal shelter uses a large quantity of newspaper everyday to take care of the pets and is always in need of it. We decided to have a competition between grades seven through twelve as to who could collect the most newspaper. The winning class would receive an ice cream party and all newspaper would be given to the Central Aroostook Humane Society. We were able to donate 216 pounds of paper to the shelter.

    The next service project we did was called “Holiday Bear Hug.” We received a letter from the Homeless Services of Aroostook listing some items they needed, such as shampoo, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. We decided to do a drive that involved the whole school system. We collected many of the supplies on the list, put them in holiday bags, and personally delivered them to the shelter.

Contributed photo
    COMMUNITY SERVICE   — Easton High School National Honor Society members Ariana Babineau and Holden Turner deliver presents to the homeless shelter in Presque Isle. The “Holiday Bear Hug” was one of many service projects the club participated in this school year.

    Our third service project was one of this year’s state projects, the World Wide Book Drive. This organization collects books and distributes them to communities in need around the world. Our NHS partnered with the Student Council and made the drive a part of Winter Carnival. Over three days, we collected 2,026 books from the student body, which weighed approximately 1,500 pounds!

    The last service project we completed was “Lend a Hand Week.” After a student’s house was tragically destroyed by fire, the NHS decided to plan a fundraiser. Every day for a week, students could pay to wear hats, pajamas, crazy hair, mismatched clothes, and costumes. The week was so much fun and we raised over $250 for the student.

Contributed photo
    MEMBERS of the Easton NHS grab a little lunch during the regional NHS convention held recently at Caribou High School. 

    Our chapter has two more service projects planned for the remainder of the year. The first is the Multiple Sclerosis Walk held at Cary Medical Center. We hope to raise $400 for this cause. The second service project is our annual Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser. Every year during the intermission of the Elementary Play, we sell Coke floats and brownies a-la-mode. This event is always a big hit and all proceeds go to the Cystic Fibrosis organization.

    As chapter president, it amazes me how my school and community are so willing to help. The student body never ceases to surprise me; they are all eager to help us execute and fulfill our many projects. I personally want to thank everyone for helping these service projects succeed in bettering our community and state.