Service Projects
There are several clubs at Hobart High School (HHS) that focus on serving the community. One such example is Key Club. Key Club is a big part of the school, and its members are involved in many activities, inside and outside of the school. Additionally, National Honor Society (NHS) is notable for the service projects that the students create and complete on their own. Both clubs are at the heart of many of the service projects completed at HHS. Due to COVID-19, service projects have had to be altered, but that hasn’t stopped students from doing good in their community.
Key Club Toy Drive
As mentioned previously, Key Club does a variety of service projects. Once a year, during the holiday season, Key Club hosts a Toy Drive for kids in need. The drive typically lasts two weeks and students can donate unwrapped, new toys.
In years past, the toys have been donated to local hospitals, but due to strict COVID-19 guidelines, they had to find an alternative. Instead of giving the gifts to local hospitals, the Key Club partnered with Tri Kappa’s City-Wide Giving Tree drive to help local children in need feel the joy of the holiday season.
Painting with Bob Ross
Nejere’ Onomakpome is a Hobart High School senior who is involved in a plethora of activities. She participates in, leads, and organizes service projects. Last year, before COVID-19 struck, Onomakpome and a fellow student who has since graduated, came up with the idea of “Painting with Bob Ross.”
They felt that this would be a fun and relaxing activity to do with your friends. However, the shutdown from the virus began a week before this event was scheduled to occur. With COVID-19 as an obstacle, Onomakpome was doubtful that her project would even be able to be put into motion. However, they have found a way to make it work while following COVID-19 guidelines.
This event will take place in the great hall, with the date still to be determined. Participants must buy tickets, which will include all supplies needed to paint. The proceeds will go toward Lymphoma Cancer, which is what Bob Ross passed away from. With this event, students can have a peaceful and creative evening while also keeping his memory alive.
Brentwood Pen-Pals
Brentwood at Hobart is a local nursing home. The Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) club has partnered with the residents at Brentwood. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, students cannot visit the residents. To maintain their relationships with the seniors in a safe manner, HOSA students have been writing letters to the residents. The letters typically focus on what the members of HOSA are doing inside and outside the club. The residents love to read them.
Around the holidays the students wrote holiday cards for the Brentwood residents. The Brentwood community was very thankful for the kind words of Hobart HOSA club members.
Free Rice
Seniors Mary Daw and Calle Hairston created their senior NHS project around the app called Free Rice. Free Rice is an app and website where one can practice trivia and school subjects. With every right answer, a grain of rice is donated. To take this idea to the next level, Daw and Hairston went live on the intercom to announce the game that will be played against classes and explained how the game works, and the winner’s prize (a coupon for a free cone at Dairy Queen). After intense trivia among the classes, Mrs. Theresa Dietrich’s class won!
T-Shirts for the Humane Society of Hobart
Juniors Elijah Puente and Caryssa Roark have based their NHS service projects on providing t-shirts for the club and donating some of the proceeds to the Hobart Humane Society. Custom Ink, the manufacturer of the t-shirts, has an option where one can send a portion of the proceeds to their organization of choice. Puente and Roark chose the Hobart Humane Society.
This idea arose because NHS did not have any club t-shirts to offer to members this year. With that, Puente and Roark ran with the idea to show club pride, and to support a local organization in need. If 25 shirts are purchased, around $300 will be donated directly to the Hobart Humane Society.