PERU — Kaley Dubrey held tightly to the handle as she bounced up and down on the shovel, forcing the blade deeper into the ground.

"I'm making an edge around the garden to put in the rocks," said the pony-tailed Peru fifth-grader as two boys rolled a large rock her way.

The district wasn't able to budget for the upkeep of the garden in front of the Intermediate School, said fifth-grade teacher Cindi LaFountain, who also heads the Citizenship Committee.

"So we thought we would do it."

She oversees a group of fifth-graders who arrive at school at 7:30 each morning with High School students.

"You can hear them come screaming off the bus," LaFountain chuckled.

Classes for the Intermediate School don't start until 9:05, but these students don't seem to mind waking up early to spend more than an extra hour at school each Wednesday.

"We do stuff for the community," Alexis Eagleson said.

Citizenship Committee, open to all of the school's fifth-graders, is in its first year.

"I thought our fifth-graders should reach out to the community, and the only way they could do that was before school," LaFountain said. "I think kids need to learn to do for others and have fun."

They also learn to work together.

LaFountain hopes to expand the year-long group to third- and fourth-graders.

She sent a letter home describing the group and initially drew 20 students, though about 14 attend faithfully from 7:30 to 9 a.m.

The students eagerly look forward to Wednesday mornings with LaFountain.

Austin Rabideau and Eagleson were thrilled to cut and sort coupons for troops overseas, raising $5,000 the soldiers can use in commissaries.

"They are protecting us and keeping us free, and this is a way to thank them," Rabideau said.

Matthew Palhemus and Dubrey got a kick out of making heart-, bone- and fish-shaped notes they sold to raise more than $300 for the Elmore SPCA.

"We were able to feed the animals," Dubrey said.

Students also raised money to purchase playground equipment and made valentines for senior citizens.

"We got to tell them Happy Valentine's Day," said Lindsay Ashline. "They don't get to see their families much."

Shoben Runyon is simply pleased he gets to hang with friends, though he gets a kick out of the warm feeling he gets inside when he helps people.

LaFountain likes seeing the students so positive.

"This gives me a chance to have fun with students and get to know other fifth-graders, as well as hope for a future with young people who want to spend time doing stuff like this," she said. "This makes me smile every Wednesday morning."

E-mail Stephen Bartlett at: sbartlett@pressrepublican.com