To Celebrate Centennial and Show Appreciation, League Staff Makes Baskets For Area High Schools
By Julianne Coyne | Tuesday, October 06, 2009 12:29 PM
The smell of cookies filled the entire UIL building last month.
As a part of UIL’s Centennial Celebration, League staff delivered baskets filled with goodies to high schools in Travis County to show appreciation for coaches’ and sponsors’ support of UIL activities.
The staff stuffed baskets with three dozen cookies baked by staff members, sugar-free candies and information on National High School Activities Week, UIL Centennial Celebrations and community service projects.
“The project was born out of a desire for the League staff to connect with local schools as well as tell principals in our own backyard how much we value their service,” UIL Executive Director Charles Breithaupt said.
Jana Riggins, the director of speech and debate, coordinated the staff service project.
“Schools often view us as the rule enforcers and we thought this would be a chance for them to see us in a different light,” Riggins said.
League staff from all departments worked together throughout the day to make the project a success.
“This project gave us a chance to come together as a team and have fun,” Riggins said. “People who don’t work in the same department on a daily basis got a chance to work together and show off their talent whether it is in baking, decorating or public relations.”
Jenny Nichols, an administrative associate in the drama department, was the lead chef for the baking. The staff made chocolate chunk, oatmeal walnut raisin and snickerdoodle cookies.
“It’s really good to know that what you’re doing will make some people at schools smile,” Nichols said.
George Strickland, assistant for the music office, appointed himself quality control for the cookies.
“It’s a lonely job, but someone has to do it,” Strickland said. “The cookies I tested were perfect.”
Riggins spent most of the day in the basket decorating room. “It was wild in the basket room,” Riggins said. “People were fighting for ribbon and competing to make the prettiest basket.”
Assistant Academic Director David Trussell delivered baskets to a couple of Austin high schools.
“We got positive receptions at both schools,” Trussell said. “It’s good to thank the people at the schools we went to because, without them, we wouldn’t have the programs we have.”
Meagan Hogg, who played an integral role in planning the deliveries to all 19 Travis county schools, was on the delivery trip with Trussell.
“When we arrived to Lake Travis High School, we met with the school’s communication director, athletic director and assistant principal,” Hogg said. “They took us on a tour of the new athletic facilities. It was a fun way of getting positive PR for UIL and meeting people at the schools face-to-face.”
With literature in the basket, UIL encouraged schools to begin or continue community service projects. As part of the Centennial Celebration, UIL will crown five state champions with the Community Service Award.
“We hope that every member school puts some focus on community service,” Riggins said. “Our mission here is to serve our schools so the schools can serve their communities.”
Schools were also encouraged to participate in National High School Activities Week, which is Oct. 11-16 and has a different focus each day, from sportsmanship to fine arts to health awareness.
UIL has more Centennial Celebrations planned throughout the year, including unveiling a historical marker on Oct. 26, a reception to honor current and former employees in December and the release of an illustrated history of UIL, written by former UIL Academic Director Bobby Hawthorne.
“We hope that administrators, coaches, directors, sponsors, students, parents and fans of UIL will continue to support our activities and that they will join us in celebrating the past and assist us in planning for the future,” Breithaupt said.
Community Service Project Ideas
• Plan an Ethics Awareness Day to emphasize good character.
• Implement a summer program of reading to elementary students to reduce “summer
learning loss” and close the achievement gap.
• Organize a health fair.
• Collect food for your community food bank.
• Sponsor a book drive or Community Reading Day.
• Adopt an elementary school in your district or a senior citizens headquarters and
volunteer to improve the landscape, paint, clean and organize storage rooms.
• Raise donations for grocery gift cards for the needy at the holiday time.
• Organize a charity walk or race.
• Recognize veterans in your community.
• Participate in National Youth Service Day in April.
• Organize a coat drive for needy people.
• Ring the bell for Salvation Army during the holidays.
• Deliver food baskets during the holidays.
• On Johnny Appleseed Day in March, deliver apples to homeless shelters.
• Conduct a letter-writing campaign for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Develop a hotline for kids who need help.
• Paint a mural over graffiti.
• Hold a used book sale and donate the money to a worthy community crisis organization,
children’s home, etc.
• Help cook and/or serve meals at a homeless shelter.
• Organize a Safe Walk service to escort young children to and from school.
• Recognize teachers during National Education Week.
• Organize a reading hour for children at your local library.
• Establish a tutoring program for students who are learning English as a second language.
• Plan and execute an anti-smoking campaign for teens.
• Establish a buddy system for students with special needs at your school.
• Adopt widows in your community and make repairs to their homes.
• Collect books for the local children’s hospital.
• Organize a read-aloud program for recording the newspaper for blind or visually impaired
people.
• Make gifts for children at the local hospital.
• Set up a Saturday Reading Hour where you visit a homeless shelter once a month,
bringing books to share and leave behind.
• Sponsor a toy drive or collect art supplies to donate to a homeless shelter.
• Bake bread on National Bread Day in November and deliver to senior citizens in your
community.
• Help raise funds for the Reading is Fundamental Open Book Program. Have a Read-AThon
or Book Auction.
• Volunteer to clean up a local park. Paint park benches or playground equipment.
• Plant trees or native flowers in public areas.
• Promote recycling by collecting old phone books. Host a recycling fair.
• Adopt a local nursing home or assisted living facility. Plan student-involved activities such
as card games, short theatre or music performances for the people.
• Organize regular volunteer shifts at a pet shelter.