A little bit can go along way especially when people work together. That was certainly the case for a Tucson, Arizona, student community service project. One Hohokam Middle School “think-tank” class began with a camera—which, in a sense, was a gift from teachers--and a PowerPoint presentation. Four classes later, broken glass, debris, dirt, and puddles of water are being replaced by a sidewalk path to school protected from nearby busy traffic.
Samantha Aguilar, one of the original students on the project, said she learned a lot from the process. “I learned that if I put my mind to something, I could make changes. I don’t have to just sit back and accept things.” She saw the power of continuity, as classes after hers continued to work for the project. “That class really opened my eyes to what’s going on in the world and how one voice can make a difference.”
The camera the students used to shoot the unsafe route to school began with a modest gift from four retiring educators six years ago. The teachers hosted a retirement social and asked guests to forego gifts and instead make tax-deductible donations to the new “Pay It Forward Fund.” The fund supports $200-$300 grants for student community service projects.
Students took their appeal for a safe sidewalk to school officials and the county transportation department. Four years of hard work and dedication by successive eighth-grade classes has led to a $600,000 community development grant and construction of a multiuse path.
Now that is hands-on learning. That is students and teachers and schools and communities working together. That is our hope for the future.
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