Students to 'Raise the Walls' on 17th Consecutive Habitat Home
Learn all about the 17th consecutive Habitat home built by the Cooper community from this year's co-chairs.
UPDATE: Over 30 walls were constructed on August 29 on this year's Habitat home. On September 5, volunteers will head to the worksite in Conroe to raise the walls, as "The House that John Built VII" continues to take shape.
August 18, 2015
Dear Parents, Faculty, Staff, and Alumni,
We would like to be the first to invite you to join in the construction of The House that John Built XVII. Each year, we work with Montgomery County Habitat for Humanity to provide not just a house, but a home, for a well-deserving family. This year we will build our seventeenth house. John Cooper students are fortunate to have the opportunity to be part of this unique experience and we cannot wait to begin.
We welcome new and returning members of the Cooper community to help us start this year’s house with a bang. The construction of the house will begin on August 29 at the worksite in Conroe, where freshmen through seniors, parents, faculty, staff, and Habitat volunteers will come together to build each wall of the home. This event, called “Small Walls,” provides a taste of what the upcoming construction will entail. The second workday, “Raising the Walls,” will be held on September 5 at the worksite, when we will construct the frame of the house. Construction will continue on the house on various Saturdays throughout the year (see the calendar on the JCS Website for the dates and times). Parents and Upper School students are welcome and encouraged to join us on workdays. All parents and students who arrive on-site to work must bring a completed waiver. Waivers can be found in the “All School Documents” section of the JCS website and on the Habitat bulletin board in the Upper School.
The Habitat house is truly a school-wide project. Each division contributes something different that is crucial to the success of the home. The Lower School helps through the “Quarters for Quarters” campaign and participates in the landscaping workday held in the spring. The Middle School contributes snacks to our hungry workers who appreciate a boost of energy and join us on-site to help paint in February. Upper School students have the opportunity to attend the workdays and build the house, from small walls to roofing, and everything in-between. Select Upper School students who have demonstrated a true passion for this endeavor make up the Steering Committee. They lead the construction, on-site and behind the scenes, and hope to raise a minimum of $27,500 through fundraisers such as t-shirt sales, Friday bake sales, a babysitting night in December, a barbeque in January, and a car wash in April.
Students provide vital aid to the success of this project, but our success is also thanks to the help of faculty and parents who are always ready to lend a helping hand. Parents are invited to join us on-site to help with construction and we also rely on your help to provide lunches. There are additional ways to contribute, such as financial donations and by purchasing Habitat apparel. We invite all students to purchase Habitat apparel and wear this year’s shirt on our Habitat Awareness Days: September 25 in the Lower School and September 24 in the Middle School. Lower and Middle School students are also welcome to wear this year’s Habitat shirt on any division Spirit Day throughout the year and Upper School students may wear this year’s Habitat shirt for the dress down days on August 28, September 11, and September 25. Additionally, students in all divisions can wear this year’s Habitat sweatshirt on any day of the school year! Every contribution, small or large, helps fund the building of the house and gets us one step closer to reaching our goal of constructing a home for a family in need.
This well-established service program has received immeasurable support throughout its many years. It is this type of generosity that has allowed us to impact our community in such a truly remarkable way. Please join us in ensuring that this wonderful opportunity continues in the years to come. With your help, we can all “Raise the Roof” together! We invite you to go to The John Cooper School website for more information about upcoming events and project information.
Let’s get started!
Co-Lead Chairs Aaron Mathews (’16) and Ellen McRobbie (’16)
DATES TO REMEMBER
Small Walls: August 29 – 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Raising the Walls: September 5 – 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Lower School Habitat Awareness Day: September 25
Middle School Habitat Awareness Day: September 24
The John Cooper School
From Curiosity to Wisdom
The John Cooper School is an independent, non-sectarian, co-educational, college preparatory day school. Our mission is to provide a challenging education in a caring environment to a diverse group of select students, enabling them to become critical and creative thinkers, effective communicators, responsible citizens and leaders, and lifelong learners.
The John Cooper School seeks to attract qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds to its faculty, staff, and student body. The School does not discriminate against any individual in admissions, educational programs, personnel policies, general practices, or employment, on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, physical disability, or age.
The John Cooper School seeks to attract qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds to its faculty, staff, and student body. The School does not discriminate against any individual in admissions, educational programs, personnel policies, general practices, or employment, on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, physical disability, or age.
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