PALM BEACH GARDENS — Seventh-grade students in civics classes at Howell L. Watkins Middle School, 9480 MacArthur Blvd., chalked up 2,998 hours in a com- munity service project that began last August.


The students who put in the most hours are Jeffrey Perkins, 216; Tanija Lark, 141; Dieumitha Ferdelus, 133; Rebecca Murillo, 106; Michaela Chavers, 92; Michael Kalisz, 88; Nakia Flowers, 70; Woodley Dominique, 60; Ashley Gay, 59; and De’jah Lambertis,56.

The project started when stu- dents in Joseph Cominio’s civics classes went into their communities to help those in need of assistance.    Howell L. Watkins Middle is a Title I school and the fami- lies of many of the students have their own financial struggles.

The year-long project ended in May.

“It is hard to put a number or dollar figure to this extraordinary number of service hours or to calculate the effect they had on our community as a whole,” Cominio said.

“Church service, assisting the elderly, cleaning, yard work, neighborhood trash cleanups, assisting aftercare centers, reading to elementary school children and a whole plethora of services too numerous to list have shown a growth in the character of our students that is unmatched on other school campuses,” he said.