Garvey Student Activists Reflect on a Successful School Year

This year, there was a new student group at Marcus Garvey Elementary School on Chicago’s South Side. The Student Activists for the Community (SAC) group has been hard at work all school year brainstorming and coordinating community service projects meant to better their surrounding neighborhood. This group targeted fourth- through sixth-grade students and was developed by Ms. Harris, Garvey’s current Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) interventionist and a Garvey graduate herself. 

Earlier this school year, the SAC organized a successful food drive, working together to fill plastic bags full of dry items and prepare boxes of fresh produce for community members to take home. They prepared so many bags and boxes that they needed extra tables for all of them.

Last week, the SAC convened for its culminating event to recognize the students’ hard work and celebrate another successful drive. This time, students focused on collecting undergarments and received more than 1,600 items in total. The event included words of encouragement from Garvey’s principal and gave each student an opportunity to share what participating in the SAC has meant to them. 

Check out photos from the event below.