Herculaneum is a small city, and the Dunklin R-5 School District, which is based there, is small, too. Some people might think big school districts are better, but the Dunklin community members know that’s not true. They know small means family.
The Dunklin School District does a lot for its community and I am proud to say I am a part of it. My name is Caitlyn Huber and I am a junior at Dunklin’s Herculaneum High School. I participate in a few of the many volunteer organizations the high school offers, including National Honor Society, the school’s Leadership Class and the Varsity Letterman’s Club. I also am a part of the Herculaneum girls’ basketball team.
Fundraising and community service are a big part of these organizations. For example, the Herculaneum girls’ basketball program has raised money by collecting items for baskets to raffle off for cystic fibrosis, a condition that affects the lungs and digestive system which a former student battles.
The girls’ basketball team also takes part in a project called Hoops for Hope, which raises money to fund cancer research and services for local cancer patients and their families. As part of the fundraiser, the Herculaneum High basketball teams play the Jefferson R-7 teams.
Also, every year the National Honor Society program helps local veterans, making holiday cards, collecting coats and even knitting blankets for them.
The Leadership Class sometimes partners with the National Honor Society to help veterans by collecting coats, food and other items they need. In addition, the Leadership Class hosts a free breakfast and an assembly for the veterans to celebrate Veterans Day, when the high school band plays, the choir sings, and the leadership students and teachers give speeches to honor those who have served our country.
The Leadership Class also participates in a program called “Blackcat Buddies” where we go to Pevely Elementary or Senn-Thomas Middle School and mentor younger students. The Varsity Letterman’s Club participates in a similar project, which has athletes wear their uniforms to visit the elementary school and read to students.
Other organizations that help the community include the Ecology Club, Student Council and Bright Futures. Ecology Club cleans up the community by collecting trash, promoting recycling and planting flowers. They even planted the “HHS Butterfly Garden” outside the school in between the gymnasium and the main building.
Student Council members organize a lot of fundraising not only for the school but also for the Special Olympics. Student Council members go to the local Special Olympics competition and help out the athletes who participate, especially those from Herculaneum High.
Lastly, Bright Futures offers a lot of help to the community, including an annual event before the start of the school year for Herculaneum High students and families in need, providing them with school supplies and other assistance. Any leftover supplies from the event go into the Blackcat Closet, which National Honor Society and the Leadership Class help manage, providing students and community members in need with clothing and other items.
These are just a few examples of how the tightknit Dunklin community works together to help each other.