On a Saturday morning when most high school students might be catching up on sleep, the Wylie High Student Council (STUCO) was already hard at work — flattening, cutting, and weaving thousands of plastic grocery bags. Their goal wasn’t extra credit or a competition trophy. It was comfort — for those in Abilene who have none.
In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, Wylie’s STUCO joined forces with the Jim Ned Student Council and Wylie West Junior High’s Kindness Club to create sleeping mats for Abilene’s homeless population, transforming recycled bags into something warm, durable, and deeply human.
Over two weeks, students collected more than 10,000 grocery bags from Wylie and Jim Ned campuses. It takes about 936 bags to make just one mat, meaning those humble donations will stretch far — quite literally.
“We’ve only made four so far,” said Wylie senior Candice Vann, patriotism committee chair, “but we’re hoping to make more. It’s been such a long process, but seeing what it means to someone who has nothing — that’s worth every hour.”
The work wasn’t easy. Students spent the day cutting off the tops and bottoms of bags, tying strips into loops, and weaving them into thick, cushiony mats using handmade wooden looms. “It was chaotic and long,” admitted Madison Davis, STUCO secretary, “but when you realize these are going to help people who sleep on the ground every night… it changes how you feel about all the work.”
Wylie senior Marisa Dudley, vice president, noted that the first mats were smaller than expected. “Mr. LaFrance, one of our assistant principals, offered to make us a larger loom,” she said. “That way we can make ones that fit adults better. This has really become a community project.”
The idea came from Kamryn Johnson, community service chair, who wanted to do something meaningful and sustainable. “Last year, I made baskets for new moms at Dyess,” she said. “This year, I wanted to focus on the environment and people in need. Everyone has plastic bags lying around. It just made sense to turn them into something good.”
The mats will be donated to Global Samaritan Resources, helping unsheltered individuals in Abilene. And the students hope this isn’t the last time they’ll be rolling up their sleeves for the cause. “Now that we know what we’re doing,” said co-sponsor Raegan Palacio, “we’d love to make this a tradition — maybe even a Big Country-wide event where schools all over join in.”
Co-sponsor Kimberley Rempel agreed, noting the early mornings and countless hours her students poured into the project. “They’ve learned that small acts — even something as simple as collecting grocery bags — can make a big difference when done together,” she said.
In the end, the project offered more than warmth to those without a home. It gave students a tangible way to see compassion in motion — to see how something as ordinary as a grocery bag can become extraordinary when fueled by empathy and teamwork.
Because when young people turn kindness into action, they remind us all that it’s great to be a Wylie Bulldog.
