How does a school celebrate a major anniversary? MC Knoll School decided that the best way to celebrate their place in the community was to give back, and that lead to the 20for20 project.
“We’ve always felt that we have an incredibly supportive community, whether it’s families, business or whoever, everyone has been very supportive of our building. We were lacking a student leadership club at the time. So we came up with this idea, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the building we would come up with 20 acts to give back to the community,” explained principal Phil Adams.
A student-led initiative, 20for20 saw students undertake 20 different projects, which were meant to impact everyone from the newest students to seniors. Once given the directive, the students drove the project, deciding that what projects they would undertake for the project.
“It was incredible... They raised literally thousands of dollars, and also gave their time,” Adams said.
The goal is to keep the project going, and Adams sees 20for20 as the start of an ongoing initiative to encourage student leadership and service in the school and community.
“We want to see M.C. Knoll kids in the community, giving back.”
Adams is proud of the students, and he said that they are an example of how young people today want to make a difference for people around them.
“Sometimes you hear generations written off as apathetic or maybe not involved as they should be. I would argue that these students bucked that trend, and they proved to us that young people want to be engaged, they want to be involved, they want to give back, they just need us to show them how.”
The projects for 20for20 were:
SCC Drive Away Hunger, collecting non-perishable food for families in need.
20 year Anniversary Celebration, celebrating M.C. Knoll’s history by bring past and current staff and board members together.
Bracelets for wheel chair accessible swing, grade 3 students and 20for20 members made bracelets to sell toward installing a wheelchair accessible swing.
Hat Day for Yorkton SPCA. Students paid $1 to wear a hat and all proceeds were donated to the SPCA.
Yorkton Crossing – games. Half of the 20for20 students went to Yorkton Crossing and played games with residents.
Basketball Teams – winter coat rack. Sr. Boys basketball team built a coat rack and collected used coats for student who didn’t have one.
Snow Shoveling – playground and community. Helped shovel the playground and in the community.
Toonies for Toques, Collected toonies through a hat/toque day to buy more winter clothes for children in need.
Yorkton Crossing – Ginger bread houses. Other half of the students went to Yorkton Crossing to make gingerbread houses with residents
Coffee Drive Thru, community wide coffee drive though in conjunction with St. Michael’s School raised money to support soup haven Christmas hampers.
Salvation Army Kettle Bells. Worked at the Kettle Bells throughout the city.
Food Bank Vegetable for Hampers. Purchased and assemble the vegetable portion of hundreds of Soup Haven Christmas hampers.
Pink Shirt Day. Students supported, promoted, and distributed shirts to promote the anti-bullying message.
Toy Drive – Boys and Girls Club. Held a toy drive to support Boys and Girls Club
Easter Sundae Bar. Families donated during this event to support local charities.
Canteen City Wide Basketball. Tan a canteen at city wide basketball tournament. All proceeds went to the Boys and Girls Club of Yorkton.
Canteen City Wide Badminton. Ran a canteen at city wide badminton tournament. All proceeds supported the student/teacher hockey game fundraiser.
School Sign. Changed the M.C. Knoll sign regardless of the weather in order the keep the community informed/
Yorkton Nursery School Book Messages. Purchased and wrote welcome messages in books for Kindergarten students transitioning from nursery school.
Library Volunteering. Volunteered at the school library over the summer to help get books into students hands.
