Social Action Project: News Clip and Photos

On Monday, our local news station from North Platte came out to interview some of my students (all because one of my students thought to write them a letter inviting them to come) about their Social Action projects and their project night. Here's a link to the video and text version of the story, or you can watch it below:


Project night was a success! All but three of my students showed up for the event, and there was an incredible turn out of community members, teachers, and family members. It was so great to sit back and watch my 13-16 year old students from all walks of life, some with all kinds of baggage--talk to adults about their projects. There were so many high points from the night that I can't even begin to list them all...but, I will share a few photos and captions from the night:

The two in this photo have taken on the biggest project...by far. Being XC runners, they're passionate about fitness. Naturally, they're planning and organizing a 5k race (the Leprechaun Chase!) that will raise money to benefit our local rec center. They have already been working on this project for a month. Their race isn't until March 18th, so they've committed themselves to working hard long after our Social Action unit is completed. Already they have met with rec center staff to pitch the idea, met with the city manager to gain approval, mapped out a course, contacted the police department and fire station to be sure they had the go ahead, created entry forms....you get the idea. The girl on the left is an 8th grader taking my English 9 class and the young man in green is a 9th grader...an 8th and a 9th grader are planning a 5k race! These kids blow me away year after year....

These young men have come SOOOO far in their lives. They truly are two of my heroes...they're just two of the kids that keep me coming to school day after day. They are pictured here with the Executive Director of SCIP (Sandhills Crisis Intervention Program). They sought to spread the word about the good work SCIP does to help victims of domestic violence. They handed out a ton of swag and were hits of the night!

That young lady in the blingin' shirt is Kelsey. Kelsey is passionate about her dog, Jack, whom she trained herself and shows in 4-H. She decided to take Jack to one of our assisted living facilities here in town to visit with some of the residents. Her presentation and project were simple, but what stuck out to me was the day after project night she told me she'd love to go back and do it again! The kid in pink made cookies and sold them at his church and at project night to raise money for new football helmets.

This was one of the most endearing projects of the night. These two young ladies wanted to inform the community about our Community Based Education program at school, and they wanted to show that "Special Education students are people with feelings and hobbies." The CBE program provides our Special Education students with life skills training. They are pictured here with several greeting cards that one of our Special Education graduates made in order to sell and raise money for a new coffee pot in the Special Education classroom.

These strapping young men collected so many items for the Keith-Arthur County Food Pantry!

Meet Ms. Abigail. She's incredibly quiet and introverted, but when you give her a mission...watch out! She's great at public speaking, and for her project she decided to organize and host a soup supper to raise money for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). She raised $372 to donate to the organization!

A shot of the entire gym bustling with activity.