AA charter school delivers santa style
AA student, Alex Dillon, pictured with Dolores Barela from the bi-lingual liaison migrant education program, just after delivering the gifts to Molholm Elementary School last month.
By Kathy Dunker
American Academy’s (AA’s) PTO sponsored Molholm Elementary School this year for its fourth consecutive year. Molholm Elementary is part of Jeffco School District and is in a high profile poverty area. The school has 484 students through 6th grade with about 95% of their students receiving free or reduced lunches.
AA began this year’s plan in October with a winter clothing drive and successfully collected two full carloads of winter items to donate to Molholm. Next was a food drive in November, where canned goods and dry food products were gathered to help the families for Thanksgiving.
The book and toy drive took place December 4 -6 and helped bring a little holiday cheer to Molholm. AA collected close to 400 items. The gently used books were donated to the Molholm school library, while the new books and toys were all wrapped by parents and students, tagged according to gender and age range, and then delivered to Molholm in mid-December.
Distribution of the gifts was based on a priority list of kids in the most need. AA plans to do another food drive before Easter and a school supply drive for Molholm in the fall.
The AA – Molholm connection originally began from an AA teacher who was friends with a Molholm teacher and the two felt they could help make a difference. AA’s PTO Coordinator for Molholm, Michelle Werden, commented, “We have had a great relationship with Molholm over the years and the kids are very, very involved.”
AA students make the signs to hold up at carpool reminding parents about the upcoming drive the week before, and also are out collecting the items the week of the drive, in addition to helping wrap and tag the gifts. Werden remarked, “We feel very lucky that our school has such a huge focus on assistance and community service. The kids are always asking what they can do next to help!”
