​Thursday afternoons have become a special time for a group of Kingston Springs Elementary School students.
 
The school day ends as dozens of students gather to participate in the Knitting Club, which started this semester.
 
“We have 30 students, almost one-third of which are boys. They love it just as much as the girls, if not more. It is so popular we have a waiting list,” said club sponsor and school counselor Laura Deer.
 
The students are focusing on makings hats by using round looms from craft stores.
 
“Also, three guest speakers have been kind enough to come teach us a variety of different skills,” Deer said.
 
Glenna Butts from Ewe & Company in Kingston Springs taught the students finger knitting and donated a beautiful skein of yarn to each student.  
 
Janet Walker, the director of the South Cheatham Public Library, showed the students her advanced loom skills and some of the items she has crafted.
 
Deborah Stillwell, the director of Knit and Crochet Tennessee, taught the students beginning knitting skills and donated over 30 sets of knitting needles.
 
“We appreciate these women generously donating their time and supplies,” Deer said. 
 
The students are creating the items they make to charity.
 
“The students enjoy the fun environment of learning combined with fellowship. Plus, there’s the satisfaction of doing something for others,” she said.
 
The club is in need of very thick/chunky yarn for warm winter hats. The students also welcome gift cards to Michaels or Ewe & Company, where they can purchase yarn.
 
To make a donation, e-mail laura.deer@ccstn.org or call the school at 615-952-9060.

​For those who think they gave the perfect Christmas gift, Kingston Springs Elementary School cafeteria manager Brandy Russell has them beat.
 
Russell donated a kidney to her husband, Robin “Lanny” Russell, on Dec. 15.
 
“I really have to give all the glory to the Lord. It was through prayer and faith that made this miracle happen. I couldn’t have done it without Him being my strength,” she said.
 
Russell has been with the school district since 2009. She is in her fourth year as the cafeteria manager at KSES.
 
Russell’s husband started having issues with his kidneys in 2012. By the end of 2014, one of his kidneys was failing and he was placed on dialysis.
 
He knew he would eventually need a kidney transplant.
 
A few family members were tested as possible donors as were members of Westview Baptist Church in Kingston Springs, where the couple attends. No one turned out to be a match.
 
That’s when Russell decided to be tested herself.
 
“It was put on my heart to see if I was a match,” she said.
 
After undergoing a health screening and having bloodwork done, she received a phone one day and learned her blood type and tissue were a match.
 
“I was so overwhelmed with joy when I got the phone call,” she said.
 
After undergoing additional medical tests, the next step was to schedule the surgery.
 
“Everything happened so quickly. It was amazing,” she said.
 
The successful surgery turned out to be a wonderful Christmas present for the Russell family.
 
“We all got to go to church together on Christmas morning,” she said. “Our church family has prayed for the past three years for a kidney for Lanny. For them to see him walk in was amazing.”
 
Russell’s mother and grandmother flew in from Nevada for the surgery, and her father and stepmother were also there for support.
 
“The Lord brought us all together during the surgery,” she said.
 
Russell’s husband is on the road to recovery, and the couple is very appreciative of the support they have received during their recent surgeries.
 
“He is doing so much better each day … I am still in awe on how it all worked out,” she said.
 
Russell is also thankful for the support she received from the school district’s nutrition team, including supervisor Melanie Smiley and assistant Kim Trotter.
 
“They have helped me tremendously,” she said. “Also, everyone at Kingston Springs Elementary School has been so sweet, supportive, caring and loving. I am blessed to be here.”

Let’s Talk Trash-News! isn’t just a newspaper for Kingston Springs Elementary School students, it is a call to action.

After fourth-graders read the story of Katie Stagliano in the September/October issue of Let’s Talk Trash- News!, they were inspired to help feed those in need in South Cheatham County.

After meeting together and coming up with a plan, the students went to Principal Joy Bauman’s office to pitch their idea.
​
The students launched “Fourth Grade Feeds” to collect non-perishable food items for The Ark Community Resource Center, which provides social services for residents in South Cheatham County.

As part of the project, the students made signs, placed boxes around the school for donations and spoke at the Honor’s Pep Rally to parents and students.

“We were reading about Katie, and we figured out there were people in this community who really need help,” said fourth-grader Kylie Holliday. “We were thinking if we had extra food then we could give it to them so they can survive and we would have better people in the community.”

Bauman said she is proud of her students’ desire to serve the community.

“They have such huge and giving hearts. We are thankful that they want to make a difference in our community,” she said.

The students started the “Fourth Grade Feeds” program in October, and the food drive has been a huge success. As of late November, more than 230 food items have been collected.

“We want to thank Let’s Talk Trash-News! for sharing Katie’s story, and due to the hearts of our students, many families will be helped in our community,” Bauman said.

In 2008, when Katie was nine she brought home a tiny cabbage seedling as part of the Bonnie Plants program.

As she cared for her cabbage, it grew to 40 pounds and she donated her cabbage to a soup kitchen, where it helped to feed more than 275 people.

Moved by the experience of seeing how many people could benefit from the donation of fresh produce to soup kitchens, Katie decided to start vegetable gardens and donate the harvest to help feed people in need.

Today, Katie’s Krops donates thousands of pounds of fresh produce from numerous gardens to organizations that help people in need.

The Let’s Talk Trash! newspaper is distributed to all Cheatham County schools grades K-8. It is an educational initiative to promote litter awareness. The publication is made possible thanks to the support of Cheatham County Mayor David McCullough, the Tennessee Department of Transportation Stop Litter program and a number of Cheatham County businesses. The November/December issue of Let's Talk Trash is available now in multiple locations around the county. It features an interview with Cheatham County Sheriff Mike Breedlove by students.

Ms. Umphers' reading group at Kingston Springs Elementary performed a Thanksgiving Reader's Theatre for the Kindergarten classes last week. Performers were J.D Abernathy (Squanto) and Jake Parsley (pilgrim).