SAD 29 students help out community

    SAD 29 students in grades 1-12 recently participated in a district-wide Community Service Day.
    The students took one day to give back to the community through a number of agencies and tasks.
    Each age group was divided and given a duty to perform. One group helped Adopt-a-Block prepare Thanksgiving baskets; another group cleaned bleachers and the skating rink at John Millar Civic Center.
    Another project making the work lighter with more hands was moving items for the Salvation Army from Water Street to Court Street.
    Students worked in the Catholic Charities food pantry; decorated the town for the holidays with the Chamber of Commerce; helped with a local food drive and took part in the Neighbor Helping Neighbors program where students raked, put on plastic, did small repairs or carried in wood.
    At the Houlton Parks and Recreation Department, they cleaned and painted and put together Christmas packages for the less fortunate children in the area.
    Outdoor projects included yard work at Living Waters; harvesting turnip at Nature’s Circle and giving the crop to Dale Flewelling of Friends of Aroostook to distribute; and working with Game Warden Jeremiah Crockett clearing brush at the Houlton former Prisoner of War site at the Garrison barracks and picking up an abandoned dump.
    SAD 29 projects completed were repair to the nature bridge on the Bird Farm; moving heavy items to another location and helping to remove sod onto baseball fields under Paul Prosser’s supervision and lending a hand at the Sugar Shack where students make maple syrup.
    Still other groups of students read stories to Houlton Elementary School students; made quilts for the Linus Project and those less fortunate; and made dog treats for the Animal Ark’s fundraiser.
    Crestview Manor, Gardiner Nursing Facility, Madigan Estates Health Care, Madigan House and Madigan Assisted Living all had younger visitors come to their facilities to visit, play games, read and do crafts with the residents.
    At Madigan Estates, fourth-graders from Houlton Southside School read their written stories about the new businesses in the greater Houlton area to the residents. They also presented the facility with a book containing copies of these stories.
    Eighth-graders from the Houlton Junior High embellished name tags for the Thanksgiving day dinner for the residents and their guests, as well as students from the Houlton Senior High School wrapped Christmas gifts. 
    Also, participating were first-graders from Houlton Elementary School who had made placemats, paper turkeys and door knob decorations for Thanksgiving.