LOCS Superintendent Marion Ginopolis will regularly share thoughts and updates about district-related topics in The Review.

This year marks the sixth annual CELL OUT for Soldiers event at Lake Orion High School, which is planned and organized by the student Leadership class at the high school.

On Friday, Jan. 17, students will be asked to voluntarily give up their cell phones for the school day in an effort to raise money for the Cell Phones for Soldiers’ Minutes that Matter program charity, which provides free calling cards to active-duty military members to connect with loved ones.

As students walk into the high school Friday morning, they will be greeted by Leadership students who collect their phones. The devices are bubble-wrapped and given to the trusted Cell Out committee.

Once students turn in their phones, they receive an event shirt to wear throughout the day and take home. Phones are returned at the end of the school day.

A donation of $1 will be donated by the Leadership class for each cell phone turned in, with the hope of generating over $2,000 for charity which equates to 1,000 hours, or approximately 42 days, of talk time for soldiers and their families.

While students are by no means obligated to participate, we hope they find the courage to do so. This project is one way to create solidarity with the country’s soldiers who sacrifice so much.

It also is a way for students to take a break from electronics and social media for the day.

A great deal of preparation has gone into assuring the safety of the cell phones during the day and there has been a lot of positive feedback from students on this project. This is a very positive initiative that touches on topics like sacrifice and charity.

A former LOHS student who previously participated said that she thinks the day is powerful as a whole as it is not just a day for students to be off their phones; rather it is a day to help people. She stressed how important this is and could drastically affect someone overseas who is fighting for our country.

The project hits close to home for another former student, who has two brothers serving in the military and indicated that hearing from them is the best feeling a sibling could have.

It is our understanding that Lake Orion High School is the only school in the nation to do this type of project to benefit Cell Phones for Soldiers.

It might sound crazy to ask teens, in one of the largest high schools in Michigan, to give up their cell phones for a day. However, if any high school can do it, Lake Orion High School can!