Class project shows the value of giving

By Helen Clarke
Herald Times Reporter

MANITOWOC — Thirteen-year-old Alex Bohn has been hard at work since last week — pumping tires, replacing tubes and fixing frames on 16 bicycles at his town of Newton home.

He picked up the bikes from the recycling center near his house, just as his parents have been doing for the past 13 years. But instead of taking them apart for scrap metal and parts like the elder Bohns, this Washington Junior High School eighth-grader repaired the bicycles with other kids in mind.

Alex's bikes are now awaiting new owners at the Domestic Violence Center and Peter's Pantry, thanks to a service learning project initiated by Beverly Deem's sixth-hour Self and Others class at Washington.

And it all started with a movie.

Deem, a family and consumer education teacher, showed the film "Pay It Forward" to her class at the start of the semester, prompting the students to discuss the concept of a service learning project. They decided to organize a donation drive for Peter's Pantry and the DVC, and right from the start, students were in control of every aspect of the project — from advertising to research to scheduling guest speakers.

"The students took charge," Deem said. "I was just there to help keep control and make sure they were on task."

Now at the end of the road, Deem and her students traveled Tuesday afternoon to the two community organizations to officially donate the items they worked so hard to collect.

But as evidenced by Alex, who is not in Deem's class, what started out as a simple class project inspired the entire community at Washington — sparking excitement in teachers, parents and students alike.

Health teacher Krista Tuschel created a contest, attaching point values to all the items on the Peter's Pantry and DVC wish lists. The class with the most points won a pizza party, and all students who donated items are invited to an ice cream social.

"Other staff soon followed her (Tuschel's) lead and we were rolling," Deem said. "Many of my students were amazed at what they were sorting through, all the things that people were giving away and realizing how much more we have than we need."

When it came time to pack and load the boxes of toys, books, clothing, food, cell phones and other items collected, the students realized the magnitude of their work.

"I thought we were just going to get a couple cans of food," Miranda Wetak, 14, said. "I thought they'd just take out all the expired food and their stained and gross clothes."

But some 150 loaded boxes and 90 other items later, the ninth-grader's assumption proved wrong.

Another theory — what constitutes education — proved mistaken as well. While the students enrolled in Self and Others enjoyed what they interpreted as a break from class time, lessons were still being learned.

"We were learning, but not really learning," Samantha Fuller, 15, said.

"We got to have fun every day for three weeks," ninth-grader Jeremy Schweigl added.

Deem said she used the project to connect students with the community, teach them about the importance of Peter's Pantry and the DVC, increase their awareness of the needs of others and discover and develop something they are passionate about.

"If you give back to the community, you feel a lot better about yourself," Sammy Klein, 15, said. "There are so many people who need help — even if they don't look like it."

Helen Clarke: 920-686-2137 or hclarke@htrnews.com