May 7, 2003
Students start K-Kids Club
Cherry Knoll fifth and sixth-graders form Kiwanis service club
By
Herald staff writer
Students at Cherry Knoll Elementary have set some high goals for themselves.
By becoming members of Traverse City's newest K-Kids Club, 43 Cherry Knoll fifth- and sixth-graders have made a pledge to serve their neighborhood and school. They have also taken on the lofty goals of respecting the environment and trying to make their world a better place to live.
The student-led K-Kids Club, sponsored by the Traverse City Kiwanis Club, received their club's banner, bell and gavel at a charter presentation luncheon last Wednesday.
"We are planning lots of activities. The kids are so enthusiastic, we can't keep up with them," said Inez Zaring, one of the Kiwanis advisors working with the Cherry Knoll students.
K-Kids president Amanda Hentschel's enthusiasm is what led her to join the group.
"I want K-Kids to be very successful. I really want us to be able to help the environment and get a lot of things done," Hentschel said. "We are going to start by cleaning up our own school yard."
Cherry Knoll is Traverse City's third elementary school, joining Traverse Heights and the now closed East Bay, to create a K-Kids Club.
"We would love to have a K-Kids Club in every elementary school in the area. It's all about developing self-esteem, leadership skills and respect for others," said Kiwanis sponsor program chair, Dick Howard.