McClain’s helping program gets an upgrade; MHSmart is located in private area on the third floor

By Angela Shepherd
GEVS

The MHSmart program at McClain High School got an upgrade over the summer by way of a much-needed new space. 

MHSmart is a program at the high school that allows students to request a need and do it privately. 

High school students in need don’t tend to get the help that younger students do, whether it be for lack of programs to help, or the teenagers not asking out of embarrassment. With MHSmart, a student can make a private request through a Google form on the school’s website. When the need is addressed, the student is notified and can pick up whatever they requested when it is most convenient for them. The food pantry that is also part of the program can be accessed the same way, through a Google form. 

When the program started in 2019, a single small closet held donated items and food pantry items, too. As more donations rolled in, a room in the basement as well as a bank of lockers on the third floor were used for storage. While having the needed items was a good thing, the lack of adequate space made storing them and searching through them difficult.

But now, MHSmart occupies room 307. It’s off the library on the third floor. The original campus-wide clock system is still there and this room in 1915, when the high school opened to its first class of students, was the principal’s office. Through the years this room has also served as a computer lab, a resource room, a meeting place, a testing space, and a classroom. Now, it is a clothing closet for students in need, and with the larger space and the addition of clothing racks and storage units, things are much easier to find as students privately shop. 

This is how you can help: monetary donations — checks should be made out to MHSmart and mailed to 200 N. Fifth St., Greenfield, OH 45123 ℅ Gretchen Foltz; gift cards — fast food gift cards can help homeless students access meals on weekends, gas cards help students get to school and work when money is tight, and Walmart gift cards help to supply a myriad of necessary items. As far as clothing donations, new or nearly new hoodies and jeans tend to be in short supply, but for everything else, gift cards or money are the best bet as organizers can make needed purchases with that. 

You can contact Gretchen Foltz for more suggestions by calling 937-981-7731 extension 33308.

To follow along with McClain High School, you can check out the school’s Facebook page. For district news and information, you can go to the district’s social media pages and to the district website at greenfield.k12.oh.us.