Public School Volunteer Week celebrated at CC/E

Each year, National Public School Volunteer Week allows schools and families to honor the powerful and purposeful contributions that parents, staff and businesses provide to support student success.

This year's observance runs April 19-23. Clay Central/Everly has numerous projects and programs that require volunteer assistance like clean up of the Nature Learning Center, pop can drive and annual Maverick Fish Fry. Volunteer teams come together for each of these projects to support one central cause – CC/E students and the school district.

The Nature Learning Center cleanup crew gathers each summer to weed, trim and spread new mulch and rock. This outdoor learning center provides students with hands-on learning in planting, pruning, insect/wildlife education and more. Clay County Conservation holds educational sessions in the center as well, and students are also allowed outdoor creative playtime in the large sandbox. They can also build with wooden blocks and other nature materials, ride trikes, play music on the center's new xylophone and use the large outdoor stage.

The Maverick pop can collection is another large fundraiser for the school. During the 2020-21 school year the communities of Rossie, Royal and Everly donated over $4,550 in cans to the school district. Volunteers are necessary to complete the daunting task of sorting, cleaning and returning of cans. Selfless help is somehow always present to get the dirty job done.

Finally, one of the most coveted and fun Maverick events requiring a vast number of volunteers is the annual Maverick Fish Fry. On March 5, the meal took on a new drive-thru, pandemic-friendly form where volunteers prepared 225 pounds of fish and served more than 150 meals. Local businesses and community supporters came together to make the fish fry another huge hit, raising approximately $2,500 from the event.

Funds raised by both the can collection and Maverick Fish Fry will go towards the new elementary playground and support future educational field trips for CC/E students.