After a relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving break, Cobb families now look forward to an extended winter break to close out one year and begin another. As with Thanksgiving, many schools and organizations are making food and other resources available to the community during the holidays.

On Wednesday, December 6, Tapp Middle School hosted a "ribbon-cutting" event for its new Goodr Grocery Store. Tapp Principal Dr. Alvin Thomas welcomed local community leaders and the media to attend the event and celebrate the grand opening. Goodr previously opened four other grocery stores at various locations around Atlanta, but Tapp's is the first one to be located in a Cobb school. 

"It was challenging to find a space, but we made it work," said Dr. Thomas. "Now, seeing it come to life is exciting. This will be such a great thing for Powder Springs and for the Tapp community."

Goodr founder Jasmine Crowe-Houston was also excited and proud of their fifth grocery store. "Food is really expensive right now, and that puts a really big burden on families," she said to the gathered crowd in Tapp's auditorium. "This store will help to relieve that burden and ensure that students and their families have full bellies."

11Alive was also on location at the grand opening, and Brittany Kleinpeter's video piece can be viewed here.

Food was also plentiful at South Cobb High School and Pearson Middle School. The two schools hosted meals for their families as a way to bring the community together. At Pearson, Principal Dean Yoder kept last year's first-ever Thanksgiving meal going with plans to make it an annual event. A large team of volunteers helped to serve more than 180 people on Thanksgiving Day (see photos below). Pearson also plans to host a Breakfast with Santa event on Saturday, December 10. The breakfast will include pancakes, waffles, eggs, and bacon. Allatoona High School's Fine Arts department also got involved by hosting a toy drive to support Pearson and help supply Santa with plenty of gifts to hand out. Don't miss this event and your chance to get a family photo with Santa.

South Cobb Principal Tommy Perry revived their Holiday Family Feast for 2022. It's been three years since the first Feast in 2019, and South Cobb brought it back bigger and better. Students and families from all feeder elementary and middle schools were invited to the high school's main cafe for food, activities, games, performances, and even a special guest appearance! "It was great seeing our South Cobb cluster students, staff, administration, families, and community sponsors all together having a good time," said Principal Perry. "There is so much to celebrate in the South Cobb area, and we make sure to highlight our successes and share with one another." 

Hendricks Elementary got into the giving spirit early with Socktober, a new initiative adopted by the school's student council. Throughout October, students collected socks and other clothing items to donate to a shelter of choice. This year, student council members selected The Covenant House Georgia as the organization who would receive these donations. Using friendly competition and an ice cream party as motivation, Hendricks donated 3127 pairs of socks to Covenant House. Fourteen of the school's classes donated over 100 pairs of socks throughout the month!

Several Cobb teachers followed Hendrick's lead and put together gift bags for the residents at Autumn Breeze on Sandtown Road in Marietta. At the annual STEM and Innovation Day, teachers and staff filled bags with coloring books, magazines, candy, lotion, lip balm, and hand-written notes to be delivered to those at the center. "Participants showered all 100 residents of Autumn Breeze Assisted Living Center with a little holiday cheer," said Cobb STEM and Innovation Supervisor Dr. Sally Creel. "Teachers selected a resident to send a personalized holiday card and goodie bag. The residents were touched and simply delighted to have been remembered this holiday season."

Much more is happening all over Cobb County, too much to be included in this overview piece. Cobb's social workers are always willing to point families in the direction of local resources; please don't hesitate to contact your child's school for more information. Supervisor of Cobb's Social Work department, Ana Murphy, encourages local schools to be at the forefront of relief available in their communities. "We are so appreciative of all the community support that is provided to the families in our school district," Ms. Murphy said. "We are all truly One Team in ensuring that all students receive the support they need!"