The VHHS AP US History juniors are ready to kick off 2022-2023’s AP with WE Service projects! After the overwhelming success of last year’s program, APUSH students and teachers plan to carry on this legacy of contributing to Toys for Tots with their fall toy drive, and in the spring, donating books to the University of Alabama’s Center for Economic Development. Let’s take a look at what our APUSH classes are planning in order to impact the community and serve the underprivileged.
According to College Board, AP with WE Service is a program that creates an opportunity for students to “apply their classroom work to the real world.” As an APUSH student, I’ve learned that despite the industrialization our country has undergone in the past few centuries, many communities throughout the United States have been left behind. Without sources of both education and play, children especially cannot live up to their full potential. This is why this year’s APUSH students have chosen to fundraise and provide both toys and books for communities throughout the region.
Our first order of business is the fall Toys for Tots Toy Drive. Our school has participated in this program since 2019, but unfortunately, the APUSH students of 2020-2021 were unable to participate due to the pandemic. AP with WE Service finally began to pick up steam in the fall of 2021, and according to Mrs. Maddox, last year’s students donated 170 toys to Marine Toys for Tots in partnership with Andrew Gravlee and the Vestavia Hills Fire Department! Students also donated $500 to the Toys for Tots Native American Program. These efforts have surely benefited our community, and we hope to build on our success this fall season.
APUSH students have attended meetings before and after school in order to plan out the details for events during the 2022 Toy Drive. We’ve formed specialized committees in order to keep the planning process streamlined and organized, namely Logistics, Communications, Donations Management, Marketing, and Celebrations. Here are some of the events that we will be attending. We are accepting brand new toys, cash or check donations, and even new or gently used books at each of these events!
Wrestling Kickoff - Nov. 12th
Deck the Heights - Nov. 12th
Fall Play - Nov. 17-19
Christmas Tree Lighting - Nov. 29
Basketball vs. Homewood - Dec. 2
Math Team Tournament - Dec. 3
Celebrate the Season - Dec. 6
If you can’t make it to any of these events, we will also be hosting a school-wide class competition during lunch periods. Anyone in grades 9-12 can participate by bringing monetary donations any day from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2! The winning class receives a spirit trophy for their contributions. If you have any brand new toys that you’d like to donate instead, you can bring them to room E251 anytime this November. We will also be accepting them at boxes set up in the lobbies of both the middle and high schools during the week of November 28.
This spring, we will also be hosting the Book Drive. Last spring, APUSH students donated an overwhelming 4417 books to the UA Center for Economic Development!! These books, along with a tremendous $3500 donation courtesy of Books-A-Million, went to communities in areas of the Black Belt. We’re looking forward to building on these successes and contributing even more books this year. No springtime events have been confirmed yet, but if you just can’t wait to donate that stack of books you haven’t touched in years, you can always bring them to any of the events listed above.
Once again, this fall, we will be accepting new toys, new or gently used books, and paper monetary donations, both at community events and at schools. Please spread the word, and stay on the lookout for events throughout the year!
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