It was an out-of-the-ordinary recess Monday afternoon, Oct. 12, as students at Potomac Elementary dedicated their daily break from studies to the homeless. PES celebrated its annual Walk for the Homeless this past Columbus Day, advocating community awareness to help the less fortunate in Montgomery County.
Students followed a trail of signs around the playground field and wore t-shirts in honor of their service event. The walk was a follow-up to a presentation on homelessness by the Interfaith, an organization that works with schools and other outlets to educate on local poverty. The students were read a story of "Saily the Snail" who must cope after losing his shell of a home.
"The idea is not to make [homelessness] scary, but something they understand," said Chris McClymont, a program coordinator with Interfaith. McClymont said the walk was another interactive feature to bring the concept full-circle with the children.

BEFORE EACH GROUP of students began their walk, PES Community Service co-chair and parent Karen Lipson addressed the children.
"Why are we wearing these t-shirts?" Lipson asked the students. "Why are we doing a special walk at recess?"
Lipson reminded the children of the people who went to sleep without roofs over their heads or food in their bellies. The students were encouraged to take a moment during their outdoor walk to reflect on the prospect of being outside indefinitely without a place to call home. Emma Bomfim, a third-grader at PES, said she enjoyed their walk.
"I like it because we’re helping people that have no homes," she said.
Bomfim and all 570 of her fellow students at PES brought forms home to their parents enabling them to participate in the walk and raising donations. They were given the option of donating their free t-shirts to a person in need, and Bomfim’s father says he was impressed with the response his child gave to the cause.
"Kids go home enthusiastic that they’ve done something, and parents jump on that," said McClymont. Interfaith donated 100 percent of their proceeds from the day to the homeless.
"They really understand the whole idea of community service," PES principal Linda Goldberg said of her students and their Walk for the Homeless. "It’s a win-win situation."