Four Garland ISD campuses recently joined forces to help homeless youth. Students and staff from Coyle Middle School, Keeley and Rowlett elementary schools, and Rowlett High School collected more than 1,000 pairs of jeans for the national Teens for Jeans campaign. Spearheaded by Rowlett High School’s Student Council, the altruistic act proved to be a heartwarming success.
“More than one million young people experience homelessness in the United States every year, and one of the most requested items by that group is a pair of jeans,” said Student Council President Hunter Wright in a press release. “Teens for Jeans encourages young people across the country to run a jean drive in their school or community to help provide clothing for homeless youth.”
All four campuses, along with some local businesses, conducted individual drives earlier this spring. RHS encouraged their students and staff to give to the cause by offering casual dress days.
“Students were given opportunities to wear hats or pajamas to school in exchange for jeans donations,” Wright explained. “Michelle Bounds, RHS principal, also allowed staff members to wear jeans for one week in exchange for their donations.”
A friendly prank devised by RHS staff motivated contributions, as well.
“What began as a practical joke to fill Mrs. Bounds’ office with jeans turned into a philanthropic project, resulting in a total of 1,025 pairs of jeans collected for homeless teenagers,” Wright commented.
And as a result of their dedicated efforts, RHS won fifth-place in a regional Teens for Jeans competition. But winning recognition was not all the students gained from this experience.
“I hope my students learned that it is possible to make a difference in the lives of their peers who are less fortunate,” said RHS history teacher and Student Council advisor J.R. Hughes. “Beyond that, I hope my Student Council leaders gained some insight about setting a goal and putting together a stragetic plan—partnering with other schools and the community and coming up with motivating incentives to make that goal a reality.”
