Normal classes are excused and students travel to different organizations all over the KC Metro area, such as Ronald McDonald House, KC Shepherd’s Center, and Healing House KC. Other students visited local elementary and middle schools, helping students and helping with tasks around the building. 

With planning starting in July, math teacher Tyler Rodden and physical education teacher Kayla Barnes contacted all of the organizations that attended with hopes to help serve the community. Logistics were finalized by early November and students were able to choose where they wanted to volunteer. Rodden is very passionate about Give-a-Hoot and continues to see the positive impacts it has on the school.

“I think Give-a-Hoot is an opportunity for all students and staff in this building to experience giving back in community service in a time of year that becomes most important,” Rodden said. “And I think one of the biggest things I see it as is, you know, it’s obviously what we do in this day is very important, but I think also just the experience and exposure that students get to where, hey, you know, I really love serving this organization and now I want to go find time on my own time to go serve this organization and try to get things going more than just what this one day is.”

On the morning of Give-a-Hoot around 100 senior citizens and 100 students gathered in the commons this morning for donuts, coffee, storytelling and games. Special Education Resource teacher Tracy Russman led the Donuts with Seniors this year with many engaging activities. Each student wore a name tag and met the senior citizens with ice breakers and get-to-know-you bingo. Soon after, everyone competed in an Olathe West themed trivia game. Afterwards, the students were able to connect with the senior citizens through games like chess, bingo, checkers and more. 

Sophomore Taylor Jepperson loves spending her Give-a-Hoot day at the Donuts with Seniors and has attended it for both of the two years she has been at West.

“I think it really helps them feel happy and remember just like the memories that they had when they were younger,” Jepperson said. “It’s very good.”

Just like Rodden had planned, Give-a-Hoot gives opportunities for students to connect with their community and learn new things. Senior citizen Brad Richerson came to Donuts with Seniors to spend the day with his grandkids enrolled at West, junior Peyton Richerson and freshman Easton Richerson.

“I think it [Give-a-Hoot] is great, and I think any time, you know, you can kind of reach out to the community, that’s all a plus,” Richerson said. “And it just speaks how great the school is, the administration, the students. I like everything about it.”

In the OW Library, students worked on hand-making blankets to deliver in care packages to Olathe West families in need. Using two large squares of fabric laid on top of each other, students cut strips into all four sides of the material. Then, students tie the strips of both fabrics together to connect them into one double sided blanket. The blankets then will be added to a basket for families to use during the winter season.

“There’s going to be stockings and household supplies and laundry baskets and gift cards for each family that we’ve donated to, and they all are [for] Olathe West families,” school psychologist Natalie Bumgarner said. 

All of the materials for the blankets were donated, along with the other household supplies for the care packages. The packages will be distributed at the Holiday Market on Dec 12. 

“I’m gonna take away that kindness doesn’t cost anything and helping people is just like something fun you can do,” ninth grader Sage Kearney said while cutting fabric.

A group of high school students began their volunteer work for Give-a-Hoot at Clearwater Creek Elementary. Led by Olathe West teachers Bonnie Butell-Huntoon and Lindsay Brownlee, the high schoolers helped in the fifth grade classrooms, third grade classrooms, music room, library, art room, lunch room and the playground. 

The halls of Clearwater Creek Elementary were filled with high schoolers on ladders hanging up decorations while others played games with kids. Senior Landon Goetz spent his day with a handful of energetic third-grade students.

“I went here when I was younger,” Goetz said. “I like helping out the younger students and I like the nostalgia, too.”

Teachers can always use an extra hand, so Give-a-Hoot is a great opportunity for those teachers to get the help they need annually. Clearwater Creek music teacher Candace Moore had four students helping her and got to see many of her old students that were involved in the Clearwater Creek music program.

“This time of year, we [the music department] are doing so many things getting ready for the holiday season,” Moore said. “And so this is helping me prepare for our choir tour, choir concerts, all the different things that a music teacher does during the month of December and November, saves me a whole lot of time from doing it at home.
So I truly appreciate it.”

Olathe West Native Spanish speakers along with AVID students visited Black Bob Elementary School to assist the elementary students with their school work and help set up Christmas decorations throughout the building. 

“We have some [students] that are working with them on their math and speaking Spanish the whole time. We have others who are just doing conversational Spanish,” teacher Mardy Ortman said.

Black Bob Elementary is one of two Olathe schools that offers a Spanish immersion program which allows students to learn academic content while also learning Spanish. The Spanish speaking OW students worked with elementary students in the immersion program on their schoolwork while speaking in Spanish, to help the elementary students apply what they’ve learned. High school students helped the 5th graders with their math and made crafts with the kindergarteners in the Spanish immersion class. 

“[I’m going to] take away how, literally, how useful it is to learn other languages and be surrounded with other cultures,” AVID student Kahlan Aguayo said. 

With all the craziness of the high school experience, it can be hard for students to find time to give back. Give-a-Hoot gives students the chance to gain a broader perspective and make a difference throughout Olathe and beyond.

 “I’ve received nothing but really good emails and text messages about how awesome the students have been and how great the work that they’re doing and how much it impacts those organizations.” Rodden said.