The Students Become The Teachers
After conducting different activities within the community—such as teaching a tech class to senior scientists at Argonne National Laboratory or performing poetry—NHS members at Maine West High School in Des Plaines, IL, realized they could bring these activities to disadvantaged local audiences, thereby empowering others and promoting equity. Through this two-part project, the students created the curriculum and taught tech classes to senior citizens at senior citizen centers, while others designed and taught poetry classes to younger English-language learner students.
Bald for Bucks
The Niagara Wheatfield High School NHS chapter in Sanborn, NY, organized an event to support Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY. After the school lost their assistant principal—an integral member of the Niagara Wheatfield community—to the disease, they decided to contribute to the fight against cancer. Thanks to hundreds of students, staff, and community members who supported this endeavor, the “Bald for Bucks” event raised more than $10,000, which went directly into cancer research and patient care programs. At the culminating event, participants had their heads shaved during the halftime of a special basketball game at the school that pitted the faculty against a team made up of former players for the Buffalo Sabres.
Hitting Back at Harvey
In the 2017–18 school year, the NHS chapter of Gilbert High School in Gilbert, AZ, chose to focus its main service project on providing aid to the people affected by Hurricane Harvey. The club’s officers and sponsor met several times during the beginning of the year to organize a collection of spare change in classrooms for one week and at one varsity football game, which they called “Hitting Back at Harvey.” As people volunteered to collect money in the stands at the football game, the chapter saw many pockets being emptied of change and collection containers being filled. After counting bills and rolling change, the group totaled a grand sum of about $2,500 for Hurricane Harvey relief.
Donating Hope: Helping Survivors of Domestic Abuse
Twenty people per minute in the United States are physically abused by an intimate partner, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Further, 66 percent of those injured by their partners do not receive medical care. Hope’s Door works for victims of domestic violence, providing a 24-hour crisis line, emergency shelter, legal advice, and extensive counseling. Willow Bend Academy’s NHS chapter in Plano, TX, rallied its student body to help Hope’s Door by collecting 1,143 items from their wish list. The chapter then delivered the items and spent a day volunteering at the organization’s resale store.
Pennies for Patients
The NHS students of Southern Lehigh High School in Center Valley, PA, held a fundraising campaign for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society called “Pennies for Patients,” with funds going toward research for patients with blood cancer. NHS members created their own hero squads consisting of 10 students and one teacher. Each squad competed against each other to try and raise $10,000. Each squad got to participate in a fun event during a pep rally, depending on how much money they raised. Squads then put together “hero bags” full of goodies that were delivered to the children’s cancer center at the local hospital.
Time for Food
NJHS members from Lakeview Middle School in Battle Creek, MI, developed a three-part project for the Food Bank of South Central Michigan, which serves eight counties and 190,000 people. “Time for Food” centered on meals and snacks in a typical day. Each day at school represented a meal, such as breakfast, and corresponding dress-up day, such as Pajama Day. The group held a donation-based communitywide “ ‘Wonder’ ful Family Movie Event,” with a viewing of the movie “Wonder,” during which they sold concessions. Finally, they held a Miracle Minute collection at a track meet. The chapter collected 1,067 pounds of food and $700. At Food Bank Friday, they sorted 1,500 pounds of frozen food and relabeled 4,000 items for distribution.
Support for Pediatric Burn Center
Two years ago, middle level teacher Krissy Johnson’s son, Preston, was burned and had to receive treatment at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, GA. After realizing how much a donated stuffed animal meant to Preston while at the hospital, the NJHS group at Hammond School in Columbia, SC, held a tie-dye T-shirt fundraiser to purchase stuffed animals for other patients at the hospital. After a successful fundraiser, students approached Ty Inc. (maker of plush animal toys) and asked for a discount on their products. Instead, the corporation donated plush toys, allowing the students to give the cash donations to the Southeastern Firefighters Burn Foundation. Students traveled to Augusta to present the stuffed animals at the burn center in the hopes of helping young patients there.
Animal Food and Supply Drive
NJHS members at James Bowie Middle School in Richmond, TX, took action after the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. They noticed a rise in stray and homeless animals in the area due to flooding. The local Sugar Land Animal Services was overrun. NJHS students chose to hold a food and supply drive to help alleviate the shortage of items needed to take care of the animals. They set a goal of donating 500 canned and dry dog and cat items, along with 20 used blankets and 20 towels. After a full week of collecting food, NJHS collected 923 cans of wet food, 204 bags of dry food, 23 blankets, and 29 towels to donate to the shelter. After delivering donations, many members stayed to organize the food and assist with the animals.