Community Service Projects of the 1996-1997 School Year

Pasta For Pizza -- Our best annual project, over 800 pounds of pasta were raised for community food banks!
Valentines Day Gifts -- The club made valentines day gifts for the people who make school possible
Card Holders -- The club made playing card holders for mentally handicapped students
Spring Cookies -- The club baked and decorated over 100 cookies and donated them to a local food bank

March 21, 1997Club Gives Cookies to Food Bank
Over 120 Confections Made, Decorated with Spring Theme

The Octagon Club recently made over 120 sugar cookies, decorated them, and donated them to the Bailey's Crossroads Community Shelter. The cookies were decorated at a club meeting on March 21, the last school day before spring break. The cookies were decorated with various types of icing, some sprinkles, and a lot of creativity! Unfortunately, some of the cookies "accidentally" broke and had to be consumed by club members before the rest were delivered to the food bank. In addition to being delicious to eat, the cookies helped to add some cheer and a lot of smiles to the Bailey's Crossroads Community Shelter. The cookies were made by members the night before and decorated at our meeting in the school cafeteria.

March 7, 1997 Club Helps Learning
Over 30 Card Holders to Teacher of Mentally Handicapped

Playing card games can be a fun way to help mentally challenged students learn to communicate. Unfortunately, it is often difficult for them to keep the cards in a "fanned" position while playing. To help out the Octagon Club made over 30 card-holders and gave them to a teacher who works with learning-disabled children. The simple card holders make it possible for the students to easily grasp and hold their cards.

The card-holders are simply two pieces of "tag board", a piece of sponge, and a rivet to hold the parts together. Making the card holders is easy. First, cut a rounded triangular shape out of tag board or similar sturdy material. It should be roughly three inches across at the top and three inches high. This will be the back of your card holder. Next, cut a circle out of a sponge, about one inch in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. Circular make-up sponges also work great and can be bought inexpensively. This will be what holds the cards in place. The next step is to cut a piece of tag board the same size as the sponge. This will be the front of the card holder and will hold the sponge in place. Next, line up the pieces as shown in the diagram below. Finally, punch a hole through the middle and attach the pieces with a jean rivet. These can be purchased at fabric and craft stores, and are very easy to apply.

February 7, 1997 Valentines Gifts Bring Cheer
Candy and Hearts Distributed to Bus Drivers, Guidance Department

Every year the Octagon Club does something special for Valentines Day, this year it brought a little joy to some of the men and women who make school work. The Octagon club made over 40 heart-shaped paper creatures, with Hershey "Hugs" for eyes and heart lollipops for mouths. The creatures were distributed, on Valentines Day of course, to the bus drivers of Jefferson and the Guidance Department. In addition to being edible, the hearts showed that the students do care about the people who make school possible.

The hearts were relatively easy to assemble, and the only materials used were the food, construction paper, glue, and heart-shaped doilies. Club members cut the construction paper into the shape of a large heart, and then glued a doily in the middle of the hearts. Next, the students cut small "hands" and "feet" in heart shapes, and folded strips of paper into flexible "arms" and "legs". The hands and feet were glued to the arms and legs, which were then attached to the "body". The last step was to glue two chocolates on for eyes and a heart shaped lollipop as a mouth.

Fall, 1996 "Pasta for Pizza"
Over 800 lbs. of Pasta Donated to Local Food Banks!

The Octagon Club 1996-1997 "Pasta for Pizza" drive resulted in 831 pounds of dry pasta being given to local food banks. The drive was based upon student donations to a bag in their first period class, with the incentive of a Pizza Party for every class that raised over 100 pounds. The food was collected, tallied, and transported to seven different area food banks. The recipients of the food included the Salvation Army and United Community Ministries. The food had an immediate impact in some areas, "When I got there [United Community Ministries] they were just thrilled. They had around two pounds of pasta left, and they use pasta as a staple for their grocery distribution," said Mrs. Margaret Lunter, the club's faculty sponsor. Three classes met the 100 lbs. challenge and received a pasta party. One class even raised 127 pounds of food.

The "Pasta for Pizza" drive is an annual event of the Octagon Club. This year it ran from September 30 to October 18, a three week period that included homecoming week. Bags for the drive were graciously donated by Track Auto and Magruders. Club members distributed them to every classroom with an explanation of the drive. Announcements of the drive were made once a week for the first two weeks, and daily during the last week of the drive. Posters were also placed around the school to remind students to bring their pasta to their first period class. The pasta was collected and counted during a regular club meeting on October 18, and then loaded into vehicles for transport. The large quantity of pasta did have one drawback, there was literally so much that it would not all fit in one car!

TJHSST Octagon Club
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Alexandria, Virginia
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