“Life’s persistent and most urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote served as motivation for students at Johnson Elementary School. From kindergarten to fifth grade, everyone participated in service projects as part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service last week.
The purpose of these projects was to serve people and places outside of the school community and Cherry Hill.
At Johnson, each grade level participated in a different project, but the largest project was performed by the fourth grade.
The fourth graders made 200 bologna and cheese sandwiches for Cathedral Kitchen in Camden.
Teachers Beth Pease and Donna Friedman are advisors for the school’s Student Council and brought the idea of a day of service to Johnson four years ago.
“When we took over student council, we brought the idea to our principal that we do a day of service, and she really liked it,” Pease said.
As the school organized projects for the students, Pease brought forward the idea of making sandwiches, something she does with her family at home.
“My son, who is a senior in high school, his eighth grade religious ed project was to do a community service project,” Pease said. “So we made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with him and his buddies.”
“My street, the neighbors come, all of his friends come,” she said. “We make them twice a month.”
Pease already had a working relationship with Cathedral Kitchen and decided to bring the project to Johnson. The only difference is the type of sandwich the students are making.
“When we first started this, it was peanut butter and jelly,” Friedman said. “It was too messy. It was great, but way too messy.”
The sandwiches were made through an assembly line. The fourth graders sat down at different tables in the school’s all-purpose room. Each student hds a role in the sandwich-making process, such as placing bologna and cheese on the bread and packaging the sandwiches into bags.
A few fifth graders walked around the all-purpose room, assisting the fourth graders with their sandwiches. Rather than working on their own project, the fifth grade assists the lower grades with their work.
When finished, Pease boxed up the sandwiches and placed them in her car to take to Cathedral Kitchen. In addition to the act of service by the students, Aramark donated all of the food for the project.
The focus on the afternoon wasn’t all about sandwiches, however. Pease gave a presentation to the fourth graders prior to the project about the meaning of Martin Luther King Jr.Day of Service. In the quick lesson, Pease explained the obstacles King overcame and the example he set through his work with civil rights. Students answered questions about King and his impact on history.
The service projects at Johnson were done last Thursday since Cherry Hill schools are off on Martin Luther King Day. However, Pease still encouraged the students to get together with friends and family to perform another act of service on the holiday.
“The national philosophy is, ‘It’s not a day off, it’s a day on,’” Pease said.
