Nay Ah Shing School Change-Makers!
The students of Nay Ah Shing School don't just use their words to help their community, they use their actions. And it's these actions that have earned the students tickets to We Day Minnesota on October 8. A group of students at the school are creating a digital photo project asking people what motivates them to make a difference. Staff, students, government officials and visitors are all asked to write their responses on a whiteboard. The answers so far? To empower others. To help others. To meet new people in my neighborhood. To take chances with others.
Student groups at the school are leading the charge. The leadership group runs events that aim to reduce underage drinking, and the American Indian Business Leaders (AIBL) club has become a staple in the community—taking pictures at events, organizing a pie sale in November and a cookie sale in December, and making picnic tables for a school in need of playground equipment. The community has taken note. "We've had calls from the community asking 'Can AIBL do this? Can AIBL do that?'" says Mary Simon, principal at the school.
But these service learning initiatives don't just affect the local community, they also impact the students themselves. "These activities help students … develop more empathy for others and also it helps them get more engaged in school and be more successful academically," says Gregg Rutter, Gifted and Talented Education Coordinator. And the students are at the forefront of these initiatives. On half days, attendance often drops, but groups like AIBL help plan activities to encourage students to come.
In addition to their local community work, the students of Nay Ah Shing are also reaching out to their global community. Last year they volunteered at an international organization, packaging food to be sent overseas. "I am always surprised at the generosity and empathy these students have for everybody else,"" says Rutter. "Every day it is a wonderful thing to see and hear these kids talk. They really recognize needs in other people, more so than I have seen in any other group of kids I have worked with."
Students are still proposing new project ideas, and so far their plans include a highway clean-up and their annual cookie and pie sales. "What these kids do is going to have an impact on how their community is going to grow in the future," says Simon. "I see that community just stronger and healthier and positive because what these kids are doing in the school today."