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At Keene Mill Elementary School, stacks of donated books are helping fuel a spirited competition with a much larger purpose: serving people in need.
For four weeks, students, teachers, and staff at the Springfield school are divided among four teams competing to make the greatest charitable impact. The Helping Games, now in their ninth year, combine team pride with lessons in empathy, responsibility, cooperation, and compassion.
During the book drive, students crowded around a collection table as student government volunteers counted their donations. Blue Team members were particularly confident after seeing classmates arrive with bags and stacks of books.
“We’re already in second place,” sixth grader Quinn said. “Did you see how many books that young lady just brought?”
Each week of the competition supports a different cause. Keene Mill has collected canned food and books for ECHO, Northern Virginia Family Services, and Read On Young Readers. The remaining activities include a shoe drive and a “Change for Change” fundraiser.
Student government selected the World Wildlife Fund to receive this year’s monetary donations.
Teams earn points based on how much they contribute. Students and staff can collect additional points by volunteering outside school, attending the PTA-sponsored STEM Night, and wearing team shirts provided by the PTA on Thursday spirit days. PTA volunteers also collect, sort, and box the donations.
The friendly rivalry encourages students to recruit their classmates, according to School-Based Technology Specialist Brian Lachance, who has co-organized the event with art teacher Deb Ehlers for eight years.
“If I’m on the Orange Team and I bring in 10 books and I see my best friend hasn’t brought anything yet, I’m going to push him” to do more, Lachance said. The competitive element, he added, keeps students motivating one another.
That motivation has produced substantial results. Over nine years, Keene Mill has donated 16,883 canned goods, 30,590 books, and $11,445 to charities.
“Everyone just wants to win, so they donate as much as they can,” sixth grader J.J. said.
The teams include students and adults from across the school, helping build connections between grade levels and staff members. A kindergartner might encounter a sixth grader or bus driver wearing the same team color in the hallway.
J.J. said older students inspired him when he was younger. Now in sixth grade, he wants to set that example for younger children.
Principal Linda Peace said the games reinforce lessons that matter alongside reading and mathematics.
“It’s important that you are a good citizen and a good person,” Peace said. Students should learn that when a friend falls, they should stop, check on them, and help them up, she added.
The winning team will receive its prize April 22, during Keene Mill’s annual Earth Day Chalk4Kindness event. Students will cover the school’s parking lot and sidewalks with chalk artwork promoting kindness and peace. The champions will claim the most visible pavement at the front of the school.
For Quinn, the latest surge of book donations gave Blue Team reason for optimism.
“I think we got this,” she said.