AMS student council gives back

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Neighbors | Submitted.The Austintown Middle School student council received a certificate for participating in Operation Christmas Child. With the certificate are, from left, (front) Rachel Burkell, Coleman Piccoli, Liam Carver; (back) Shalamar Smith, Makenna Long, Robby Marek, Mikayla Gmitter, Lexi Cintron, Giavanna LaGamba, Elise Yantes, and Madison Tibbetts.

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Neighbors | Submitted.The students involved in Austintown Middle School's student council coordinated the collection of items for Operation Christmas Child, a program to send Christmas presents to under-privileged children around the world. Members include, from left, (front) Robby Marek, Elise Yantes, Madison Tibbetts, Katie McHugh, Liam Carver, Rachel Burkell, Coleman Piccoli; (back) Shalamar Smith, Starrsha Howell, Corey Sharp, Madelyn Kist, Giavanna LaGamba, Anthony Popio, Molly Delmont, Makenna Long, Justin Neff, Lexi Cintron, Rachel Kielbasa, Liza Askey, Rema Shakhtra, Joey Jadue, Mikayla Gmitter, and Advisor Jaclyn Sarah Elias. Missing from photo are Mason Burbick, Makayla Zets, Nick Riley, and Faith Land.

The Austintown Middle School student council is working hard to give back this holiday season.

For its first service project of the school year, the students coordinated the collection of items for Operation Christmas Child. The gifts are being sent in shoe boxes to underprivileged youth in numerous countries around the world.

Student council members collected various items, including school supplies, books, small toys, games, hygiene items, and clothing such as hats and gloves. They packed the items in shoe boxes, which will be delivered to their destinations by Christmas.

This is the third year the AMS student council has completed this project, and members enjoy giving to less-fortunate children. This year, they collected enough items to make and donate 90 gift boxes, and they have contributed nearly 300 gift boxes over the past three holiday seasons.

Twenty-six students in grades six through eight are members of the Student Council, which is advised by Jaclyn Sarah Elias, an eighth-grade social studies teacher at AMS. The group will be completing service projects throughout the year, in order to learn more about the intrinsic rewards of community service and helping others.