Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Opelt, Riggins, Young, Schoengarth, Wuethrich, Bergert, Kruschke, Becker, Boon, Roman, Rakovec, Hare, Hunt
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 12/28/2022
Neillsville Elementary Student Council Gives Back to Community (2022)
The Neillsville Elementary student council members are working to make a difference in their community. Pictured are (front (l-r), Jewel Riggins, Kira Young, Emerson Schoengarth, Tyra Wuethrich, Morgan Bergert and Axel Kruschke, (back) Mason Becker, Isabella Boon, Angelica Roman, Kyanna Rakovec, Hadley Hare, Zoey Hunt, Alexis Opelt, and student council leader Chelsea Opelt. Submitted photo
Chelsea Opelt, elementary guidance counselor at the Neillsville Elementary School runs the student council for the young children. The purpose of the elementary school council is to help children learn from a young age, the importance of giving back to the community and helping those in need, as well as learn valuable skills such as leadership, organization, and teamwork. The student council meets once a week for about 30 minutes, and mainly focuses on service projects for the school and community. The council has weekly duties as well; every Tuesday morning the student council members gather to help announce with elementary Warriors of the Week.
During first quarter, there the student council was composed of seven students from grades 4 and 5. The first project the council worked on were handmade cards for all school staff in honor of American Education Week. After the cards were finished, the council then delivered them to the teachers, along with a treat. During Red Ribbon week this past October the council created posters promoting a drug free atmosphere, and hung them around the school.
At the start of the second quarter, the elementary student council did a food drive for the Clark County Food Pantry. To make the food drive more fun, the council decided to make it a competition between each classroom to see which class could collect the most items. The food drive competition ran for two weeks, and at the end of the food drive, the Neillsville elementary students had donated almost 2,000 items for the food pantry.
After the success of the food drive, six more students were selected to join the elementary student council. Elementary teachers choose students who display positive behavior and leadership, and act as young model citizens in the school as well as the community.
Recently, the student council just finished creating Christmas cards for local nursing home residents, and they’re not stopping there. Currently, the student council is planning on a penny war to be held throughout the elementary, as well as creating Valentine’s Day cards for Veterans. They are also planning to host another food drive in the spring.
This article was contributed to by Stephanie Dayton.
