Morinville Sobeys assists MCHS with two school initiatives

Shaun and Susie Thompson of Morinville Sobeys with MCHS Principal Don Hinks.

by Stephen Dafoe

Morinville Community High School (MCHS) was the recipient of two cheques from Morinville Sobeys last week. Store owners Shaun and Susie Thompson presented the school with a cheque for $430 for the school’s Urban Agriculture program, and one for $1511 for the school’s HOWLS (Honour, Ownership, Welcoming, Leadership and Safety) program.

Franchise owner Shaun Thompson said they were happy to work with the school and happy to help with the work being done there.

“It stems back to Susie’s father when I started in Leduc — we always believed that it takes a community to raise a child,” Shaun Thompson said. “This definitely helps the school and helps fund the programs they do and gives them a little incentive to work harder with the HOWLS program and make sure they strive for success.”

Last week’s cheque presentation was a combination of revenues generated from herbs and other products MCHS students grow and sell at the local grocery store, as well as a 10 per cent rebate on all purchases MCHS makes at Morinville Sobeys.

MCHS Principal Don Hinks said the donation would help the school’s HOWLS program.

“Our HOWLS program is very big in this school in terms of what we want our kids to become,” Hinks said. “We want them to become productive members of society, and to do that you have to have honour. You have to have leadership. You have to demonstrate safety. But we also do something with our HOWLS program in terms of giving back to our kids who demonstrate [those qualities] by having HOWLS lunches to honour those kids who do good every day but don’t necessarily get recognized. This money allows us to do that.”

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MCHS Urban Agriculture teacher Neil Korotash said he was also pleased with the partnership between his students and Morinville Sobeys.

“We grow basil and hopefully mint this year … and [they] will be on sale at Sobeys,” he said. “The students are responsible for seeding, harvesting and packaging, and checking the peat gauge and fertilizer levels. Shaun and Susie donate all the money from the sales back to the school.”

Korotash’s students spent their afternoon Oct. 25 at the Morinville Community Cultural Centre making chicken soup for Morinville Community High School’s hot lunch program.