Elise Reynolds, an aide in a Jefferson Elementary Center program for students with emotional or behavioral challenges, stands in the school’s food pantry. Students are active with the pantry to help the community and develop school pride. (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG — Jefferson Elementary Center is using the school food pantry to help families while giving struggling students a sense of personal pride and belonging.

Teacher Jeanna Plumly said her classroom at Jefferson Elementary Center provides specialized instruction to elementary-aged students with emotional and behavior concerns. Plumly leads the class with the support of long-time aides Elise Reynolds and Larry Plumly.

When Jeanna Plumly took over the class, the biggest problem for students with emotional or behavior concerns was a feeling of “not belonging” at the school level, she said.

To foster school spirit, she worked with administration and classroom aides to come up with two main activities to help students become more involved in their school — the creation and management of a school food pantry and the development of a flower bed in the courtyard.

While she handles most dealings with the area organizations donating to the food pantry, Plumly gives much of the credit for keeping the pantry running to Elise Reynolds and her students.

Jefferson Elementary Center fourth-grader Xaiver Hutson restocks cabinets in the food pantry. Teachers say students who help organize and deliver food have found a sense of pride and belonging at the school. (Photo Provided)

In 2019, Plumly applied for and received a grant from the West Virginia Central Credit Union to help stock the pantry. With the help of First Lutheran Church’s Lawrence Hasbargen and the ladies of Stephenson United Methodist Church, the pantry received weekly brown bag donations, which were distributed by the students in her class.

With the consolidation of McKinley and Jefferson this school year, donations have been made by Stephenson United Methodist and the Parkersburg Women’s Club. Reynolds is in charge of making sure snack bags are delivered throughout the building, and up until COVID hit she utilized students to help deliver food bags.

“We are incredibly lucky to have such amazing groups willing to provide for our school,” Plumly said. “These snack bags provide students with a little something extra to enjoy on the weekends.”

Students also designed and planted a flower garden at the school which became a clear source of pride for them.

“When we discussed, as a class, where to put our flower bed, I had one student in particular who was insistent that we not put our flower bed by the school doors,” Jeanna Plumly said. “When he was finally able to put into words his concerns, he said he thought the bed should be closer to our classroom window so we could watch to make sure no one stepped in the flowers. At that moment I realized our students truly had a sense of ownership in the project.”

Larry Plumly worked with students to come up with measurements for an above-ground flower bed, using math techniques such as addition and perimeter. He then built the bed with the help of the students. The program staff purchased the wood for the project while donations from area companies paid for the soil and mulch.

“It was great to work with the kids and really get their hands dirty,” Larry Plumly said. “The kids really enjoyed the building part of the project.”

When a student is struggling, taking them out to work and spend time in the garden can help them regain their composure, Jeanna Plumly said.