Richland D-88A celebrates back to school, volunteer efforts

CREST HILL – Efforts by volunteers from Mississippi to clean up Richland District 88A were celebrated last week with a back-to-school event filled with entertainment and food.

Richland Superintendent Michael Early stood Thursday in the parking lot of the elementary school section of the district where the celebration took place. Around him were dozens of parents, teachers and children enjoying music and food. Several bounce houses were set up for the children.

“What a great way to kick off the school year,” Early said.

During the past week, volunteers who are part of the We Care Campaign came from Yazoo City, Mississippi, to wash windows, do landscaping and other work for the two-school Crest Hill district that has just under 950 students.

We Care Campaign is part of the Three Rivers Baptist Association.

Thursday’s back-to-school event was a culmination of the week’s work, said Clint Ritchie, a pastor for First Baptist Church in Yazoo City and We Care Campaign volunteer.

He said the volunteers came to do tasks the school needed that the district didn’t have the manpower to do before the new academic year began.

“We were able to come in and show we care about Crest Hill,” Ritchie said.

Early said the volunteers “put a spit shine” on the district’s buildings and grounds and that they were a “great, great group of people.”

“They have been like a triage. It’s unbelievable what they’ve been doing,” he said.

Richland Principal Kelly Whyte she got in contact with the We Care Campaign volunteers in early summer and that after they did the cleaning and landscaping work, they offered to do a back-to-school event for the students.

Early said Thursday’s event was part of the district’s improvement plan, as officials talked about having a back-to-school picnic, and this event fit right in.

Whyte said the best part of the event was seeing the connections being made among teachers, parents and administrators.

“Our theme this year is making connections,” Whyte said, “and this goes along with what we’re hoping to do in the community.”