By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
While the Burlington Area School District has experienced declining enrollment, the student leadership numbers continue to blossom.
This year, more than 130 students are involved in the Burlington High School leadership program, DRIVEN. On Friday, about 100 of those students took to Arbor View Communities and various area stores for the program’s annual holiday season service program.
“It’s pretty incredible,” said Matt Nie, one of the program’s advisors since its inception. “It’s the most we’ve ever had, which is amazing.”
DRIVEN also welcomed new staff members this year. With teacher Matt Behringer promoted to assistant principal at Karcher Middle School, Ben Hendricks and Mackenzie Ferstenou – both high school teachers – have been added to the mix as new student advisors.
The new opportunity was embraced by both teachers.
“While I was proud of bell ringing efforts and total amount of money we raised (as it will help so many people), I was more humbled and inspired seeing our students interact with and spend time with the residents at Arbor View,” said Ferstenou in an email Tuesday. “The best and most treasured thing we can always give is our time, and I was proud of our students for giving theirs.”
Added Hendricks through email, “I loved the energy of the kids. Everyone one was so excited to be out there helping out.”
The students split into two groups, each spending half the day at two sites – Love Inc. and Arbor View Communities.
The Arbor View component was new last year, and this year, students were given a name of a resident and assigned to them for their time at the facility.
“They were expected to knock on the door and introduce themselves,” Nie said. “For many of these people, it’s one of the few holiday visitors they’re going to get.”
Students also worked in the senior living facility’s salon, helped decorate the resident hall for the holidays, led a sing-a-long of carols and played “Jingo” with residents for special gifts – candy and ornaments that were donated as prizes.
At Love Inc., students helped with the food pantry and “Adopt a Family” program, as well as ringing bells to garner donations.
This year’s bell ringing – complete with the dancing and singing that has become a program tradition – broke the $2,000 mark, bringing in about $2,060.
“I always thought, wouldn’t it be great to make that $2,000 mark?” Nie said. “They made that happen.”
Nie added that he was told that the five hours of bell ringing at eight different locations brings in more than the rest of the season combined.
The enthusiasm of the event is contagious, he added.
“On paper, that doesn’t necessarily seem like that’s going to be the infectious enthusiastic event that it becomes,” Nie said. “It creates this cycle of enthusiasm. You see people feed off each other.
“I feel like the DRIVEN students walk away from that day like they really made an impact,” he added.
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