SHAWNEE, Okla. – Students from Gordon Cooper Technology Center’s SkillsUSA American Spirit team organized a three-part effort that included a voter registration drive and information session, recognition gifts for election day workers and a campus-wide donation drive to benefit VA Hospital for the 2024-25 Citizenship and Patriotism project.
American Spirit is a leadership competition in the student organization, SkillsUSA, in which students complete three projects in the areas of Patriotism and Citizenship, Community Service and Career and Technical Education.
During the first phase of the project, the team held an information session for Gordon Cooper students highlighting the importance of voting and the process for registering. With the valuable assistance of Pottawatomie County Election Board representative, Patricia Carter, the team saw more than 35 students register to vote.
Next the team turned their attention to the selfless individuals that make election day possible. Working with students from the GCTC Chapter of Excellence team, they prepared and delivered gift baskets for local election workers to recognize their hard work and dedication to our community.
To conclude the project, the team coordinated with the Oklahoma City VA Hospital to identify much needed items for the veterans in their care. The team organized a supply drive that ran for two weeks with nearly every program at Gordon Cooper participating. Students were able to collect every needed item on the list including shoes, slippers, clothing, hygiene items, games, coffee and sewing kits.
The drive came to a close at the Veterans Day assembly, and all supplies were hand delivered to the hospital by team members.
Looking ahead, the American Spirit team is excited for their upcoming projects in the community and will showcase their projects at the state SkillsUSA competition in April.