At Village School, we typically have potlucks to raise money for various causes that affect the school community. However, we can’t have an in-person potluck because of the pandemic. Village School’s student government decided to make the best of this situation by holding a potluck over Zoom to raise money for the front-line workers at Mercy Hospital. 

Donations of about $575 were made via Venmo. The money went towards the lunches of nurses, doctors, and other staff members at Mercy Hospital. This particular cause was chosen because science teacher Megan Wilvert’s mother is a nurse in the Emergency Department at Mercy Hospital. All students and families were encouraged to donate a suggested amount of five dollars to the Venmo.

All students were invited to the Zoom, regardless of donation. If a student was camera-shy, he could replace his profile picture with a food item. If the student chose to have his video on, he had to make sure he had a dish he could share with everyone. Each person was given the opportunity to share what dish he brought and to say hello. Students did not have to speak or be seen, they only had to be present on the call.

Student government advisor and math teacher Ronni Graf says that the student government, “wanted to engage our Village community and do something worthwhile.” Moreover, the student government sought to maintain the routine of having monthly potlucks. It was a way to still have “some semblance of normalcy in our lives. Plus, we thought it would be a good way to raise money for providing meals to essential workers,” says student government representative Danielle Gruber.