On September 11, students at Maize High spent nearly two hours of their day to give back to the Wichita Community. This included visits to the Wichita Children’s Home, Exploration Place, Hyde Park and even specific areas with the USD 266 school district.

Students cleaned facilities, helped the homeless and put their community efforts towards helping various businesses and companies around the Wichita and Maize area.

Absent at the community service event were students of Maize South High School.

Principal David Hickerson believes that while Maize South isn’t participating in the philanthropic event, he sees the day as an important activity that our students could participate in.

“Although we are in the same district, both schools do not always do the same activities or events,” Hickerson said. “Each school has their own identity. Yes, I think any type of community service would be impactful.”

The idea of “OneMa1ze” within the USD 266 school district is an ideal where schools, of all levels, come together for community events, competition and create ways to work together where students interact with one another. Hickerson sees potential in one unified day where there are efforts from both Maize high schools.

“Having both schools on the same day could be a really neat concept to promote OneMa1ze,” Hickerson said.

Dr. Sheila Rathbun, director and principal of the Maize Career Academy, also believes in the idea of unity and the schools coming together.

“I believe it would signify “One Maize” by all three schools joining together in the same belief and value of service,” Rathbun said.

Maize High principal Dr. Chris Botts, a major advocate for the service efforts, thinks the major planning that the event takes would seem easier with all three schools (Maize High, Maize Career Academy and Maize South) on board.

“I think any time we can work together it will help strengthen and unite us,” said Botts.  “And certainly, I am all for students finding opportunities to give back. From an organization standpoint, I think it would be easier to plan if all schools participated.”

Not only do the head principals of all three schools agree with the idea of unifying under one day to give back to the community, Maize South senior Dominic Castelli knows students would enjoy teaming up together and would cooperate with one another.

“Yeah I think that it would be good, it would definitely be showing that we can cooperate in more than one way together,” said Castelli.