Watkins Elementary organized a schoolwide service project to celebrate both the end of a successful school year and the start to summer vacation. For 10 days in May, students brought in boxes of cereal to donate to the Chesterfield Food Bank. With the 711 boxes of cereal that were donated, the school created a domino chain that wound down hallways and throughout the building. Food bank representatives visited to enjoy the toppling dominoes and collect the donated food.
The cereal box project was part of the school’s new-this-year house system, which placed students into eight houses named for different gems: amethyst, emerald, topaz, sapphire, onyx, quartz, peridot and ruby. Watkins Elementary chose the gem theme as a nod to the coal mining history of Midlothian — and the school mascot is the Coal Miner. The house system connects students across grade levels as they undertake service projects and build strong relationships.
