West De Pere 6th Graders Give Back with Packages of Hope

While Common Core continues casting its wide net over education, there are still certain lessons students learn in school that extend beyond curriculum and standardized tests. A recent project at West De Pere Middle School perfectly exemplified this notion by partnering the 6th grade class with a local organization called Packages of Hope. The ultimate outcome of the collaboration, appropriately titled "6th Grade Gives Back," was $1000 of raised funds and a gained appreciation for helping others.

Packages of Hope dedicates itself to helping people around the state of Wisconsin who have recently experienced a challenging life circumstance. Care packages are sent to these individuals to lift their spirits and remind them that they are not alone. So when 6th grade teacher Chelsea Faase discovered that Jaylynn Thomas, a student in one of her language arts classes, and her mother, Beth Clausen, were directly involved with promoting this cause, she saw an ideal opportunity to adapt this concept of goodwill into a grade level project.

Charitable holiday cheer quickly circulated throughout the 6th grade hallway when students learned that the first phase of their participation would be a week-long fundraising effort to support Packages of Hope. This enthusiasm also welcomed with it a blend of competitive spirit as the plan centered around a homeroom penny war. With each cent representing one point, coin donations counted positively toward a homeroom's overall score. Paper bill donations placed into an opponent's jar, however, were used as tools to subtract points. The class with the highest total at the end of the week then earned the right to celebrate its victory with an ice cream party.

The outpouring of generosity that ensued reached beyond any initial expectations. "What began as a way to simply help students experience the personal fulfillment of giving back to the community quickly evolved into a legitimate fundraising event," observed Faase. "Our amazing students stepped up in the most inspiring and selfless of ways." 

With just five days to accumulate funds for a penny war that was technically only active during school hours, and no true sense of a monetary goal ever established, few would have ventured to accurately guess the total ultimately collected from the effort. However, after all of the copper, silver, and paper were counted and recounted, "6th Grade Gives Back" managed to raise $1000.

Beth Clausen, founder of Packages of Hope, was inspired by the dedication and commitment shown by these students, stating, "For them to raise $1000 just blew me out of the water." The amount will help cover any expenses that accompany shipping the packages around Wisconsin.

Almost lost in the fundraising excitement was the second phase of the project. On the Friday before Christmas break, students worked to construct crafts such as candy cane reindeer, snowflake river rocks, and paint chip bookmarks with tassels. These items, all created with materials generously donated by the parents of West De Pere 6th graders, were then included in some of Packages of Hope's holiday deliveries.

The success of the first annual "6th Grade Gives Back" campaign has already prompted further dialogue about future endeavors at West De Pere Middle School that promote community outreach. And although the money raised through the current project will provide financial assistance to a very worthy cause, equally as valuable are the lifelong lessons learned by the students about the importance of goodwill and giving back.