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December 6, 2024

A Leadership Class at Washington High School Leads to a Special Resource for Students

A group of students and teachers pose together on a indoor staircase, holding a sign with a large red 'W'.

Out of the many blessings that most of us are afforded, the holiday season is also a meaningful time to give back.

A group of nearly 40 students participating in a leadership class at Washington High School has already begun to give back, and the recipients are their classmates.

A group of students and a teacher cut a ceremonial red ribbon with large scissors in a school hallway.

The students, many of whom are freshmen, have established a new resource center and held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its opening on Monday, December 2.

The center, located on the first floor of the school, is called Cat’s Closet.

A round black sign features a roaring cat graphic, the text 'CAT'S CLOSET', and a large red letter W.

It features an array of helpful items, including clothing, shoes, toiletries, personal hygiene products, school supplies, and non-perishable food. 

Students who need these resources can simply request assistance via the HELPme app, which is a 24/7 support system offered by Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools.

There is also a QR code posted on the Cat’s Closet door.

A group of four diverse people stand and converse in a pantry stocked with wooden shelves filled with canned goods.

A student can set up a one-on-one meeting with a counselor to discuss their needs. The selection of items needed is done privately.

“The students and I felt that some students would not ask for help. Or, if other kids saw that they were in there, they would be too embarrassed to take things being offered,” said Washington High School Teacher Linda Weeks.

Racks of various clothing items line the interior of a thrift store.

The new resource center required a lot of hard work from the students. First and foremost, the room which had been sitting idle for quite some time needed to be cleaned.

Students were also paired into groups to help collect items. One group focused on collecting clothing and toiletry items, while another collected school supplies and hosted a food drive.

A well-stocked wooden pantry shelf features jars and condiments on the top tier and numerous canned goods arranged neatly below.

“I think a lot of kids can benefit from it. It will help a lot of people,” said Washington High School Student Makayla Clark. Her teammate agrees. “I think it can be helpful, and it’s an amazing idea that we came up with,” said Washington High School Student Thomas Ortiz. 

A white plastic storage bin labeled 'Toothpaste' contains various dental hygiene products, including Crest and Colgate tubes.

The opening of Cat’s Closet wasn’t by luck. KCKPS promotes Service Learning Projects (SLP) as a way to get students to learn how to coordinate, plan, and work with various help organizations in the community.

The students enrolled in this particular leadership class taught by Mrs. Weeks came together for the resource center project, which was all data-driven. “It was tough because I insisted that all decisions be data-driven. Sometimes, things didn’t move as fast as they wanted them to go. That’s because we only had so much space. We wanted to put things in there that were most in need for our students,” added Weeks. “Good leaders used data, and I wanted my students to go through the process and learn how to read pie charts, graphs, and make decisions.”

A close-up of a stacked pile of various backpacks in shades of red, grey, and black with visible zippers.

This group of Wildcat students is beaming with pride at what they accomplished. “I’m proud of myself. And I’m proud of pretty much everyone here who was a part of this project. We got a lot of things done,” said Washington High School Student Megan Shaw. 

This is just the beginning of Cat’s Closet. Students wants to add a washer and dryer to an adjoining room, which formerly housed a printing press and film developing booth. A work order request will hopefully change the room soon so that it can be outfitted for the washer and dryer.

A group of students and teachers pose together on a indoor staircase, holding a sign with a large red 'W'.

A special thanks goes to The Village Initiative Group and Cyrus Fillmore (DIY with Uncle Cy). The Village Initiative donated some of the clothing and shoes to the closet. Fillmore custom-made the Cat’s Closet sign.

Those who would like to donate to the Cat’s Closet can contact the school or e-mail Linda.Weeks@kckps.org. The Cat’s Closet accepts adult-sized clothing that can be worn to school. They are also accepting school supplies, canned goods, and toiletry items.  

To view a photo gallery of the ribbon cutting, click on the link.