Giving back: Glennie girls deliver stationery to Toowoomba schools

Several students from a local private school have banded together to deliver stationery packs to Toowoomba primary schools.

GLENNIE GIVES BACK: Glennie students have donated stationery and funds to a number of Toowoomba state schools as part of their SONDER program (from left) Khloe Crane, Hannah Stunden and Sandra Miller with Newtown State School principal, Mrs Tania Angus. Picture: Contributed

Several thoughtful students from The Glennie School in Toowoomba have gone the extra mile by creating a stationery donation program to help local students who would otherwise go without this term.
Students from The Glennie School have made returning to school a little easier for some Toowoomba families by donating stationery items and funds to Rockville, Newtown and Harlaxton State Schools.

Created in 2019 by Glennie student and now school captain Sandra Miller, the SONDER

program sees Glennie students donate stationery items to local schools with families that may be struggling financially.

Miss Miller said her fellow Glennie students have embraced the project, explaining that Sonder’ is the profound feeling of realising that everyone, including strangers we pass in the street, has a life as vivid and complex as our own.

“Glennie has a very supportive atmosphere and the students and staff have donated large amounts of stationery to help others in our local community,” she said.

“I think this is an act of true giving, done from the heart, knowing that they are helping other young people.

“All of the girls involved in the SONDER program want to do something that will inspire

and empower young people to be better than they were yesterday and helping out with school supplies is a great first step.”

Year 11 student, Hannah Stunden joined forces with Miss Miller, adding a second-hand section to the program.

At the end of the school year, Miss Stunden noticed that the recycling bins were full of nearly new or partially used stationery items.

Now a dedicated group of student volunteers up cycle the unwanted items by testing, cleaning and packaging the items to be donated to local schools.

“The response has been overwhelming,” Miss Stunden said.

“This is a great way to reuse unwanted items, enables students to donate to the SONDER program who otherwise may have financially been unable to, and also reduces waste and its impact on our environment.”

Glennie students donating stationery and funds to Newtown State School (from left) Khloe Crane, Hannah Stunden and Sandra Miller with Newtown State School principal, Mrs Tania Angus.

Newtown State School principal Mrs Tania Angus said the Glennie students’ donations were a representation of the generous and caring natures that were being developed at the school.

“The Glennie School have some impressive young women with a good nature and work ethic to want to undertake this project and give so freely of their time,” she said.

A donation from Harvey Norman Toowoomba’s Containers For Change recycling program has also helped, enabling $750 to be split across the three schools with Rockville State School will convert their funds into 60 emergency tuckshop vouchers for students who cannot afford lunch every day.