Pupils hopping higher to help others at Easter

FORGET the Easter bunny and its mischievous antics. Much more seriously – but also fun – a group of Port Elizabeth primary school pupils are making sure children from other schools have their share of Easter eggs this year.

The Sunridge Park Primary School pupils collected and donated more than 22000 Easter eggs which police will distribute.

They were approached by Mount Road police station spokeswoman Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg in February to collect the Easter eggs.

The pupils managed to collect almost three times what they collected in 2009.

"It's an awesome response," Janse van Rensburg said.

Police would start distribution on Monday and carry on into next month. They hoped to build a relationship with pupils by engaging with them through giving them the eggs.

The schools' project coordinator, Andre Noeth, said the campaign involved all prefects who were in charge of collecting Easter eggs from their classmates.

He said the project helped pupils "care for kids who don't have the same advantages" .

School principal Mauritz de Vries said it was "wonderful to see our learners giving from the heart".

He said the school had become involved also as a way to support police who made their area safe.

The school also runs other community projects, including handing out sandwiches to pupils at other schools, raising funds for a biblical foundation, and donating unused equipment. - Jose Assam