Lending a hand at North Heights
A local church has been working with students for four years.
Every week for four years a local church has visited the students of Main Elementary, and now North Heights Elementary, where they try and meet as many of the school’s needs as they can.
“They’re our fairy godparents,” Diana West, a sixth grade ESOL teacher said of the Church at Rome.
They give students school supplies, meet various needs and are such a blessing, she said. West was greeted in the teachers’ lounge by Mike and Diane Garner who were serving the teacher Chick-filA. The Garners, along with Pastor Joey Haynes, chatted with the teachers about summer and spring break plans, asked about their day and made general small talk.
Around the corner in the cafeteria, Doug Gage was going from lunch table to lunch table talking to students, some of whom he had developed a friendship with. One of these students, Lianna Monroe who is a thirdgrader, was sitting by herself until Gage came and sat with her. Gage said he and Lianna have had several talks over the months they have known each other about being bullied and how to handle it.
“I am a product of being bullied,” he told her, add- ing the best way to fight back against a bully is to act like she isn’t bothered by what they have to say. “Even though way deep down it does hurt.”
The Church at Rome chose North Heights and Main Elementary to serve because the church felt like the schools needed help and the proximity of the church which is on North Fifth Avenue. A high percentage of these kids come from foster care or single parent homes, Haynes said. The church and their 6 to 10 weekly volunteers try to give the kids someone to talk to. They also have regular school supply and other drives because some of the kids’ families can’t afford it.
Kristen Haynes said there are Berry students who attend the Church at Rome who are hoping to bring regular service projects to the school. Some of the projects would include having snacks or breakfast ready for the kids in class, helping to meet the needs of any teachers and having regular clothing drives.
Angela Guilford, media specialist for North Heights, asked Haynes if the church would help set up the schools’ Chromebooks when they moved to the new Main Elementary over the summer.
“We could not have done it without you guys,” she said.
Joey Haynes said the church helped moved Main Elementary over to the North Heights building and will help them move back once the school is complete.
Once a year the Church at Rome will not hold a Sunday service but will instead spend time at the elementary school carrying out whatever projects teachers and staff need them to do.