BRIDGE CITY PROJECT

For the second year in a row, the 6th grade class participated in the Bridge City Project. This is a fundraiser conducted by the Texarkana Homelessness Coalition. Randy Sams homeless shelter is our community service partner this year and is a member of the coalition. The fundraiser involved members of the community spending the night outside with the homeless, and raising money by having a chili cookoff and live music. 

Our class participated by constructing a structure made only of cardboard, paper, and plastic. The structure was then donated to this event and given to someone sleeping outside. The coalition encourages these entries to be creative yet structurally sound. The idea is to provide something fun and functional, while keeping in mind the reality of how many people in our area are actually homeless. All proceeds from this year's fundraiser will go to the Texarkana College Fund for Homeless Students.

The structure we created this year was "The Mystery Machine" from the Scooby Doo cartoon. Ms. Denise directed this project and ensured each child had a specific job. The artwork is original and not traced. The structure is wrapped in plastic to increase weather resistance and then painted. The ghosts are painted with glow-in-the-dark paint as are a few other detailed items. 

My class worked very hard on this project. They thought a lot about the concept of homelessness and the reality that many people actually do sleep in boxes regularly.  I think they did a great job. Thank you, Ms. Denise, for all your help!