Marta McPeters, the family and consumer science teacher at Clarkrange High School (CHS) in Clarkrange, Tenn., helped her students organize a Christmas party for 34 children from the local Head Start school on Dec. 19, in the high school cafeteria during fourth period.
McPeters said, “We had about 34 kids come up with parents and/or grandparents – younger brothers and sisters, too – and visit with Santa to pick up their gifts and have some snacks.”
In November, McPeters set up an Angel Tree in the school lobby to collect gifts for this event. While CHS has less than 300 students, faculty, staff, students and the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) club donated gifts for 110 children of the two Fentress County Head Start programs and for children registered through the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency (UCHRA).
Throughout the school year, McPeters takes her students on mini field trips to give them opportunities to interact with Fentress County groups. She said that she usually takes students each semester to play with and read to Head Start children and to visit the county nursing home and senior citizen center.
Bethany Atkinson, a 16-year-old junior and member of FCCLA, said, [Mrs. McPeters] is wonderful. She helps out with everything. She does so much in the school and helps everyone out.”
This month, she made a trip with students from each of her 90-minute classes to the Signature HealthCARE of Fentress County nursing home and the Fentress County Senor Citizen’s Center in Jamestown, Tenn. The students delivered Christmas cards and snowflake ornaments while they spoke with nursing home residents and senior citizens.
McPeters’ FCCLA club also fund raises for several national organizations, such as the Leukemia and Lymphoma society and Operation Christmas Child (OCC). FCCLA works in conjuction with the Future Business Leaders of America club to fill shoe boxes for the OCC campaign. She said, “We also do activities with breast cancer awareness and autism awareness, along with several other organizations and groups.
“We have our annual Pink Out activities at a home basketball game. The students sell Pink Out T-shirts, and we donate some of the money that night from the Pink Out shirts and from the Pass the Pink sheet for … the Relay for Life. We are working with some of the other faculty and staff and some other students to have a Relay for Life team this year.”
Senior Stevie Hall, 17, said, “Mrs. McPeters makes everything an opportunity, and everything – she makes it so much fun. If you’ve never been in FCCLA, it’s awesome to try and experience new things.”
To see the video with extended interviews, click here.
Very good article. Marta works so hard and gives her students the opportunity to raise money for fun trips.
I agree, Julie. Marta is an amazing teacher. Here is a longer version of the video that incorporates interviews with two of her students and a former student teacher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDMT_brymbE.
You do such wonderful projects with your students. They are blessed to have you for a teacher. If you use volunteers to help with any of your projects, I am retired now and would like to help.
Ms. Thomas,
Thank you for your kind comments about Marta. I will pass along your message to her.
Diahan Krahulek