Liberty ES, a national School of Character, remains committed to service learning. Before the schools closing, Libertys Student Leadership Team launched an initiative to help stock the Cherokee HS Care Pantry. This pantry, which complements the MUST Ministries food pantry housed at Cherokee HS, provides basic household items and toiletries to students in need, along with their families.

When CCSD schools closed on March 13, donations of toilet paper, soap, and more were piling up at Liberty ES, but had not yet been delivered to Cherokee HS. After a temperature check and following social distancing guidelines, teachers were permitted into Liberty ES to gather student donations as well as their classrooms leftover hand wipes/sanitizer, cleaning and household supplies, and the schools remaining supply of After School Program snacks.

The donated household supplies and snacks, which filled two truckloads, were shipped to Cherokee HS to be distributed to students and their families when they come to school to pick up food boxes.

This service-learning project, which was planned for several weeks prior to the pandemic and was designed to create a partnership between the two schools, turned out to be way more than expected and essential to Cherokee Countys most needy at this unthinkable time, said Liberty ES Principal Doug Knott.