It’s hard enough for middle schoolage kids to discuss serious topics in general, but discussing intimate topics about bodily functions and hygiene can be really difficult.
Because some students may have needs but not necessarily the wherewithal to provide for those needs, a Community Closet has been established at Newcastle Middle School.
Through the efforts of the school, the Parent, Teacher Organization, and Norman Regional Health Foundation, the Community Closet is being stocked with hygiene supplies that are available to those students who have a need.
Newcastle Middle School Principal Wade Hampton said the middle school PTO, led by Jana Meece, worked with the school to get the Community Closet started.
Hampton said the PTO asked what the school needed to get the program underway, and what their general needs were.
Hampton said, “Sometimes they need coats, sometimes the affordability is out of their grasp, and sometimes they just forget items at home.”
He said, when needed, students are able to obtain their basic necessities in a discreet way. He added that it also gets the students back to class faster.
Some supplies include items which many of us take for granted, but for one reason or another, are difficult for others to obtain — possibly because of economics or other issues at home. These items not only include coats, for which the school and PTO did a coat drive earlier this year, but also mouthwash, deodorant, soaps and washes, shampoos, tooth brushes, tampons, an all-in-one menstrual kit, underwear for both women and men, and socks for both women and men.
Norman Regional Health Foundation contributed more than $700 to help start the Community Closet. Michele Breeding, a nurse navigator at Stephenson Cancer Center at Norman Regional, said she hopes this will encourage others in the community to contribute, and hopefully spark some interest in starting a Community Closet at the high school.
Donations can be made to the PTO. Hampton said anyone wanting information or to make a donation can call the middle school office, where they will likely talk with office secretary Emily Carter.
Hampton said there is a growing need at the middle school, and he doesn’t see it lessening as Newcastle grows and more kids move into the district.
