On Monday CMS students and teachers began the new school year filled with excitement and anticipation. But the story in Houston is very different in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, where many students now face a difficult year. The Houston Independent School District has asked other districts to help it provide new clothes and toiletries for the students displaced by the storm. As a district of comparable size, we are uniquely positioned to understand the urgent needs and to respond to this request. We also recognize that a disaster like this could strike us or anyone. We have asked our employees, students and their families to donate to meet the back-to-school needs of Houston and we’ll collect donated items through Tuesday, Sept. 5. But we need your help as well to sort and pack the donations we are collecting.

We are seeking volunteers for Thursday, Sept. 7, to work three-hour shifts between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. We’ll sort donations at the old J.M. Alexander school building (12201 Hambright Rd., Huntersville, NC 28078). We need approximately 150 volunteers throughout the day.

Here’s a SignUpGenius link. Please copy-and-paste link if you can participate: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4eabad2ca3ff2-cmshelping

Please join us if you can. These donations will help students in the storm area resume some semblance of a normal life as they return to school. We look forward to seeing everyone who can take part on Thursday.