EUGENE, Ore. (KMTR) - Collecting socks for the needy and celebrating with a sock hop, Bertha Holt Students get a lesson in leadership, fitness and community outreach.
Over the past few weeks, students at Bertha Holt Elementary in
Eugene have been collecting socks for low-income families. The sock drive ends Friday, so students gathered in the gym Thursday to celebrate with a sock hop.
Fifth graders have been practicing their moves and a few of them were chosen to teach the rest of the school how to boogie. That's where the leadership focus comes in.
Teacher Andrea Fox has been the dance coordinator for the event. She says the sock hop is her favorite day of the year.
"Dance is an expression of art. It's physical, it's social,” says Fox, who teaches fifth grade at Bertha Holt. “By learning how to dance, I see confidence-building, not just in dance, but it all areas of academics. It's pretty amazing.”
The sock drive also teaches students the importance of helping others. One student learned that sometimes people's finances are beyond their control.
"For nothing, they probably just lost their jobs. And it's really sad because they don't have as much stuff as we do and it makes me feel really good that we get to have fun while raising the socks,” says Sydney, one of the fifth graders chosen to lead the sock hop.
A volunteer from First Place Family Shelter, a local center for low-income families, recently told students why the socks are so helpful and how difficult life is when you have to go without everyday essentials. The schools says donations increased after her visit.
This year's socks haven't been counted yet, but last year Bertha Holt donated 1,000 pairs. The principal says the sock drive is a great example of their overall mission to get students involved in leadership, fitness and helping the community.
