Fairfield Local students, staff team up for community service projects on 4th annual Lions Care Day

The authors of the below article, Fairfield High School students (l-r) Ava Martinez, Eleanore Warner, Taylor Livingston, Mariska Sheppard, Hannah Hamilton, Rilee Quickle, AbbyGail Riley, Hannah Carroll and William Rowe, are pictured. (Submitted photos)
The following is a report of Fairfield Local High School’s fourth annual Lions Care Day as written and submitted by FHS students. The annual community service project day was held Friday, Dec. 20. Photos and information are courtesy of Fairfield High School science teacher Amanda Martinez.
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Pride with Purpose: Fairfield Lions roar into action for community care
By AbbyGail Riley
Fairfield Local High School hosted their fourth annual Lions Care Day. Leading the way in community service, the student body and staff alike participate in a day of service projects to give back to their community.
Hosted by Fairfield’s Jostens Renaissance Club and Student Council, high school students devote their time to a specific community service project. Participating groups include the Art Club, Book Club, Drama Society, FFA, National Honor Society, Robotics, Science Club, Spanish Club and the Student Ambassadors.
The day began with the student body coming together to be placed into their different clubs and a small speech given by Fairfield High School Principal Mr. Stephen Hackett. To conclude his speech, he stated, “Have fun, focus on your projects … and give back to our community.”
Student Council and Jostens Renaissance Club advisers reflected on their favorite part of the Lions Care Day event. Ms. Shelby Gagliardi, student council co-adviser, stated her favorite part was “getting to spend more time with club kids than normal club days.” She also announced to her club that this event is representative of Fairfield Local, reiterating how important this event is.
Mrs. Amanda Martinez, the adviser of the Jostens Renaissance Club, stated her favorite part was the staff and students getting to work in a new environment. Additionally, she loved that everyone was “out of their comfort zone” and “trying new things.”
Fairfield Local is proud to include such a meaningful event to the holiday season. Lions Care Day provides an optimal opportunity for all students and staff members to collaborate and celebrate the season of giving for a strong, supportive community.
Fairfield Local Schools would like to extend their gratitude to the High School Student Council and Big Ernie’s Pizza for providing the students with a pizza lunch during the day.
The following sections of this article were written by Jostens Renaissance Club and Student Council members who dedicated their time to interviewing club advisers and members.
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Art Club leads crafting with kids
By Hannah Carroll
The Fairfield Local Art Club, advised by Mrs. Sarah Horsley, helped by Mrs. Hannah Allard, made crafts with the first graders. This year, they made reindeer plates with construction paper and paper plates.
This is the Art Club's second year making crafts with the elementary students. They decided to continue with this tradition because the club has enjoyed working with the young students.
Mrs. Horsley told us, “I think the most important thing this time of year is to spend time helping people when you can.” So, spending time helping the children and making crafts is what her and her club decided on doing this year.
Club member Caitlyn Feeser shares that she helped kids make Rudolph plates. She has done this because this time of year is her favorite time to give back, meet new people and spread Christmas cheer, and spending time with the little kids makes her feel joyous with their contagious cheer for the holiday. We asked Caitlyn what she wanted to share, and she shared a quote from Bob Ross: “We don't make mistakes, we have happy accidents.”
After all the crafting, the first graders are all ready for winter break and to give their wonderful reindeer to their guardians. The high schoolers are left full of cheer, ready to go home and celebrate their break.
Crafting and spending time with young students brings our community together by building a bond with students of all ages, making everyone feel included and seen during this holiday season.
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The Book Club’s creativity on display with young ones
By Taylor Livingston
Book Club is an amazing environment for preschool through first grade students. The members are interactive, kind and caring while spending time in the Fairfield High School Library with the younger students.
The members helped the elementary students with crafts to bring home. They made ornaments, bookmarks and reading books.
The Fairfield High School Librarian, Mrs. Jolie Zink, is the adviser of the Book Club. She said the activity was “To give back to the little ones … especially because preschool doesn’t have a special and it would be nice for them in the library.”
Avery Morrow, a member of Book Club, states, “I love helping little kids because they are a lot of fun.”
The Fairfield Local Book Club members are extremely inclusive with other students on Lions Care Day, teaching them the importance of supporting those around them.
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Fairfield Local Drama Society creates candy cane grams
By AbbyGail Riley and Hannah Hamilton
Advisers Ms. Shelby Gagliardi and Miss Ciara Colwell, with assistance from Miss Rhylee Luttrell, worked with the Fairfield Local Drama Society to craft candy cane grams for the students and staff of Fairfield Local.
This activity was chosen to spread holiday cheer with handwritten notes from the students and to give a small, sweet gift.
When asked how the Drama Society is giving back, Ms. Gagliardi stated “Drama Society is aiming to spread holiday cheer and kindness on a large scale.” She was then asked what she hoped to instill in the students creating the candy cane grams, to which she responded, “by getting a diverse demographic of kids together to create something that positively impacts the community they live in, we aim to teach them the importance of giving back.”
While the club was working on their project, club member Holly Wolfenbarger stated that the Drama Society is “a community that feels comfortable; one in which I can entirely be myself.” When asked what Lions Care Day meant to her, Miss Wolfenbarger responded, “This activity helps me to spread cheer by spending time with my friends and demonstrating kindness by giving back to the community that raised us.”
The Drama Society took their finished candy cane grams and placed them around the school campus for others to find and enjoy. On these grams, the recipient enjoys a unique holiday message illustrated by a Drama Society member.
This activity aims to teach students the importance of hard work and the reward that comes when seeing you put a smile on another person’s face.
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FFA extends birthday wishes for all
By Rilee Quickle and William Rowe
Springing into action, the Fairfield Local FFA spent their Lions Care Day preparing birthday surprises for the homeless center and churches around Highland County.
Members, alongside club advisers Miss Taylor Thomas and Mrs. Kelsey Dickey, worked hard to gather supplies and create kits with many birthday-inspired festive treats. The intended outcome is for students to be a helping hand to the other constituents of our community.
One member of the FFA stated, “I liked this activity because it shows how I helped out my community and it shows how I donated to those in need."
Recognizing the efforts of the club, adviser Mrs. Dickey stated, “Today we made 79 premade birthday cake boxes for those in our community unable to celebrate their birthday.”
These gifts will serve as a sweet surprise for those struggling in the system. Members of Fairfield’s FFA put stress on the reason for the holiday season: giving back.
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NHS works with 4th graders to craft gifts for residents at Crestwood Ridge
By Eleanore Warner and Ava Martinez
The National Honor Society (NHS) and the fourth grade class of 2033 worked together to make wooden ornaments and cards for residents of Crestwood Ridge Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation.
Fourth grade students colored and decorated wooden ornaments, while the high school students wrote encouraging Christmas cards.
Alyson McKeehan, a fourth grade substitute teacher, said this activity “helps build a bridge between high school and elementary students. This helps them see what high school is all about.”
This activity helps both high school students and elementary students give back to their community, to the ones who may not get to spend time with their families this season.
Ms. Kristi Welling, the NHS adviser, also made a statement, saying, “This club helps people feel included and loved during the holidays.” This thoughtful statement captures the goal of Lions Care Day and the goals of Fairfield students.
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Robots spreading Christmas cheer
By Mariska Sheppard
The Fairfield Local Robotics Club, advised by Mr. Partrick Roush and assisted by Mr. Charles Webb, worked on making a robot sleigh to pass out candy to kids.
Mr. Roush told us they are doing this because kids love candy, and they want to spread Christmas cheer to all. We asked Mr. Roush what he wanted the people to know, and he said, “We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and have a great new year.”
Fairfield Local likes to make the last day of school before break a day to give back to the community.
We asked one of the members, Silas Newman, a couple of questions about the club. Silas told us they were coding robots to go pass out candy in the hallways to the elementary kids. The reason he joined this club was because he enjoys the club and it has piqued his interest.
Silas was one of the couple members to program the robot to pull the sleigh around. We asked him for a quote, and he said, “ All robots can be jolly!” This year was Silas’s first year in the club.
After the long day of giving back to the community, the students will head home for their winter break. The students worked with each other to make things like robots to pass out candy, birthday cakes for the homeless shelter, dog toys and more. Everything today has a meaning and outcome for making the community a better place.
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Science Club donates dog toys to Humane Society and Dog Pound
By Eleanore Warner and Ava Martinez
For the fourth year in a row, Science Club has worked together to craft and donate dog toys to the Highland County Humane Society and the Highland County Dog Pound.
Mr. Ryan Hagan, co-adviser of the Science Club, says, “We are completing a service activity for a local organization … we are making homemade dog toys.”
These toys are made from fleece blankets and tennis balls, which are then tied or sewn together by students. To test these toys, Mrs. Amanda Martinez, Science Club co-adviser, brought in two therapy dogs, who enjoyed receiving attention from the students and the toys they made.
When asked the question, “How does Science Club help the community?” Mrs. Martinez said, “Dogs need enrichment and fun activities … this club helps support dogs in the community.”
Evelyn Roehm, a student, also said that this club benefits the community by “making toys for dogs to enjoy.”
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Galletas para perros (cookies for dogs) baked by Spanish Club
By Rilee Quickle and William Rowe
Starting the day in Room 200, the Spanish Club got straight to work under the leadership of club adviser, Ms. Melanie Harper. Here, they baked dog biscuits for the Humane Society and Dog Pound.
This is the fourth year of this ongoing club tradition. Full of healthy and organic ingredients, these dog biscuits give homeless pets something to look forward to during the lonely holiday season. Students learn cutting, rolling and other skills used in the kitchen.
On the impact of this club activity, one member states, "Spanish Club has shown me that helping others is always the right answer. Helping animals is always something I love doing."
Providing care and consideration for animals is a true show of character in an individual. Ms. Harper emphasizes that stating, “How we treat others, including those with fur and four legs, tells who we really are”
The holiday season is for spreading cheer, and Fairfield’s Spanish Club got an A+.
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Student Ambassadors making a difference
By Taylor Livingston
The Fairfield Local Student Ambassadors are helping those who may need it most. They are doing so by bringing the residents of Greenfield’s nursing home joy by creating Christmas cards.
The Student Ambassadors decided to make Christmas cards for the nursing home because they realized that everyone should be remembered during the holidays.
The adviser of the Student Ambassadors, Amy Buddelmeyer, states, “We found the nursing home to be lonely because their family and friends do not visit for the holidays, so we decided to do it for them.”
Junior Student Ambassador, Maddy Wiseman, states, “The reason I choose this club mostly is because of the environment of helping others, so that way they are not alone during the holidays.”
The Student Ambassadors greatly contribute to Lions Care Day by small acts of kindness such as this.
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The meaning for the season of giving
By Hannah Hamilton
As the day came to a close, each group finished their projects and prepared them to be sent to their respective locations. Holiday cards, gifts, dog toys and dog treats were all completed and ready to be donated. The student body and staff enjoyed Big Ernie’s Pizza, concluding this fourth annual Lions Care Day.
It is important for the students to support their community and remember to give back the same way the community gives to them. Lions Care Day is an excellent way to remind students what the season of giving is truly about.
Student Council co-adviser Mrs. Lisa Wilt stated, “Seeing the students, staff and administration working together and enjoying the day while also giving back to the community is what Lions Care Day is all about.”
On behalf of the Fairfield Local staff and student body, happy holidays, and love your community this giving season.
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