Eye-catching banners designed with spirit strung along the walls of the school as MILL Week kicked off into action. MILL Week was a designated philanthropy week before spring break which included various activities like assemblies, dodge ball, basketball, a petting zoo and a talent show. Students paid to participate, and all of the proceeds were directed towards this year’s charity, House of Healing, a Christ-centered mentor camp for teenagers who are in need of guidance to the right path or any mental pursuance towards faith.
“My parents have owned House of Healing for about a year and a half,” junior Henry Hester said. “It means a lot that the school is supporting us because it helps us buy things for House of Healing to help more kids who can’t afford to go. We help kids who have anxiety or who have struggled in school just to be able to get out and speak with their voice.”
Charity was the main point that MILL Week was trying to get across to students. The high school promoted giving back to the community and considered it an important skill to adapt as students got older. It could lead to a positive perspective for students and the people or businesses that are affected by the received donations.
“It’s a great way for kids to participate in different ways to give back,” english teacher Sarah Harrod said. “This MILL Week is different because we have more of an opening and we get to choose who we are impacting. We made it more local so we can help kids in our community and students at the school.”
The donation goal for last year was $30,000. Hoping to get above that goal, Harrod continued to speak about the topics of giving back to the community and how the school chooses an organization.
“How we choose a charity is we have an application and we go into rounds to see which is the most suitable and has everything that we want,” Harrod said. “We always reach out and see about other non profit organizations in the area or maybe they come to us first and we rank them. Once we get to top three they come visit for a presentation and we talk out some things with students as well.”
Coming from a student’s viewpoint, MILL Week had the dual purpose of missing class as well as contributing to the fundraiser. Not only were students attending events, they also participated in them as a source of entertainment for the student body.
“I think it is pretty cool that there’s so many different opportunities for people to donate,” sophomore Ashley Smith said. “The activities provided are effective because people have multiple chances to give away. Even though it’s kind of expensive for a regular activity, people are more likely to buy tickets if it gets them out of class and it’s for a very good cause.”