By Staff Reports 

A group of 22 students from Hartselle Intermediate School visited Mt. Tabor cemetery recently to “learn through service,” while participating in a project to clean up the community cemetery.  

“Earlier this school year, we reached out to Tammy Kunkel who works with the VFW (post.) At that time the VFW was partnering up with Feeding Families to collect cereal boxes and had challenged area schools and businesses to participate in this endeavor,” Hartselle Intermediate counselor Whitney Wakefield said.  “She came to our school and we had the opportunity to sit down and speak about other ways the VFW could use (our) help.”  

Wakefield said because Hartselle Intermediate School is a National School of Character, one of the traits the students focus on throughout the year is service.   

“I wanted to form a partnership with an organization in our community that we could partner with several times throughout the year, and the VFW seemed like a great opportunity,” she added.  

Students participated in hard, manual labor according to Wakefield, and many asked when they could come back.  

“My biggest take away was to hear our students say they wanted to continue working and ask to come back out and help again,” she said. “While some students walked around the cemetery identifying Veterans who are buried there, others were raking leaves and carrying them down the hill to dispose of them. These students raked for a little over two hours, without complaining. As we were on the bus ride home, several of the students were discussing how it felt good to do something nice for other people.   

“As for our school, we continually talk about how the Tiger Way is more than just language spoken in the intermediate school, but is something that can be used for the rest of their lives,” Wakefield said. “My hope is these kids will take all of the traits, and apply them to do good for our community.”