Shawnee High School project will help levees

For the past several years, students in social studies teacher Jamie Nash-Mayberry's classes at Shawnee High School at Wolf Lake have been working hard to promote awareness about the condition of the area's river levees.

The high school is located in an area which includes the Mississippi and Big Muddy rivers.

Now, students in Nash-Mayberry's classes are working on a unique fundraiser.

"We are selling t-shirts about the levees," the Shawnee teacher said.

She said proceeds from the sales will be divided evently among the three levee districts which border the school.

The project will benefit levees in Jackson, Union and Alexander counties.

Some of the students have accepted preorders for the t-shirts, but an official kickoff for selling them is planned at Shawnee High School's homecoming festivities Saturday, Jan. 14.

"We will have the shirts there, and people can pay $12 for them," Nash-Mayberry said.

After Saturday's kickoff, some of the shirts will be available for people to buy at the school, at Cardinal Corner in Grand Tower and possibly at a couple of other businesses.

The t-shirts also will be sold from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, at the Kroger store in Anna.

The t-shirts are sapphire blue with printing in green and black. They were created by Silkworm in Murphysboro.

As the kickoff day for sales draws near, Nash-Mayberry took time to remember Gary Rendleman, one of the three commissioners serving the Preston levee district. Mr. Rendleman died two weeks ago.

Nash-Mayberry said Mr. Rendleman extended them an invitation to help with drainage district grant money several months ago.

"They had $400,000, but needed an additional $100,000," she said.

Nash-Mayberry's students wrote to U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., and she contacted the Delta Regional Authority.

The combined efforts were successful, as the Delta Regional Authority was able to find $100,000 in grant money.

Nash-Mayberry said that Mr. Rendleman "was someone who served on numerous boards in Union County – and really gave  back" to the community.

"I shared his passing with my students before beginning this fundraiser, explaining that it's now more important than ever that these students step up and become leaders in their community – and that they have big shoes to fill."

To learn how to order one of the shirts, email Nash-Mayberry at <a href="mailto:jnashmayberry@shawneedistrict84.com">jnashmayberry@shawneedistrict84.com</a> or call the high school at 833-5307.