By Jeff Roland

Banfield Elementary Principal

The Student Council at Banfield Elementary conducts an annual coin drive as a service project. The money raised has been donated to worthy causes and initiatives both in our community and nationally.

In recent years, our students have raised money for cancer research, hurricane and flood relief for victims in the southern parts of the United States, and for schools and students worldwide experiencing hardships. It is a valuable service project for our students that helps them to see that they too can make a positive impact in people’s lives. Our families have been overwhelmingly supportive of our efforts both in the project and the donations. Thank you.

This year, our Student Council officers and representatives made the decision to turn their efforts inward. They decided that this year, the coin drive, which is being held the week of Feb. 12, would go toward the new playground at Banfield. Their sentiment was that all schools should have a playground where kids can play and have fun at recess.

At meetings, it was discussed how money needed to be raised for Banfield to get a new playground since budgetary funds are not available for such a project, and they wanted to know how they could help. Donating the money collected during our coin drive was a way in which the entire school population could help, and so the decision was made.

This week, our Student Council will once again set up collection points in the classrooms, collect, sort and count money daily, report back to individual classrooms their totals, and chart the collection on a graph in the main hallway. They have set their goal amount at $1,000 for the week.

As one student told me, “That would be an awesome start and also show everybody what a bunch of kids can do.” I can’t think of a better way to view this project and the positive impact it has on all our students.