January might be bitter cold outside, but inside AE/MS the warmth and energy coming from classrooms is evident and motivating. All students have tackled the theme “Power of One” and excitement builds as they research, write, and use technology to share their ideas with the rest of the school.
At a school-wide assembly on January 19, Civil Rights Day, the classes took turns making presentations. Some classes used technology to express their ideas, while others made signs and banners, and others prepared speeches.
Regardless of the means, it was an inspirational morning.
The assembly was not the culmination of the students’ work but more of a starting point opening up all of our minds to the idea that one person can make a difference. When the assembly ended, students walked out with ideas and examples of who, how, when, and where.
It is important for our students to never underestimate the power one individual can have, whether it is standing up to bullying or curing disease. This theme can be related to our everyday interactions with others.
Some classes chose to research children who have made a difference in the world and shared facts about Alex Scott, Malala Yousafzai, or Jacob Barnett.
Some classes shared well-known individuals such as Stephen Hawking, Amelia Earhart, or Martin Luther King, Jr. There are musicians such as Michael Franti, who uses his music to help others. There are athletes such as Jackie Robinson, who changed the world through sports.
The second grade students were busting with excitement to share Nick Vujicic with the rest of the school. Nick has long been an example of perseverance for second and third grade students.
Many individuals were researched, and much learning has taken place as presentations were put together. AE/MS students have a wealth of heroes: MLK, Jr.; Ghandi; Mother Theresa; Beethoven; MC Escher; Don Gould; Andover Fire Chief Rene Lefebvre; Louis Zamperini, Helen Armstrong’s amazing grandfather; many US presidents; Dr. Seuss; and on, and on…
The Power of One project was born from Story Preservation Initiative’s Learning Lab project. Andover resident Mary Kuechenmeister, president and founder of Story Preservation Initiative, shared her collection of first-hand narrative recordings with several AE/MS teachers, and the idea expanded from there.
Story Preservation Initiative is an oral history-based educational resource that records first-hand narratives of people who have made extraordinary contributions in the arts, sciences, and humanities. The audio recordings offer first-person access to history and modern-day research, as well as to culture, politics, scientific inquiry, and a diverse range of human experience.
Exposure to these primary source materials guides students toward critical thinking and analytical skills. The recordings are often intimate and personal, helping students to relate to the speaker and subject matter. The Learning Lab is a joint project between Story Preservation Initiative and the New Hampshire Department of Education.
Dana Dakin, a local area community member and a captivating interviewee of Story Preservation Initiative, has inspired the group with her incredible work in West Africa. The AE/MS Kindness Club will focus on Dana’s work and invite Dana to speak with interested classes in the early spring.
Dana founded WomensTrust, which has a focus on stimulating the economy in a West African village outside of Ghana. She has started a scholarship program there to keep girls in school and has improved the maternal mortality rate by integrating volunteer nurses into healthcare clinics.
Dana’s philosophy is that life is lived in thirds. “The first third of your life you learn. The second third you earn, and the final third you return.” She is in the return phase of her life. The older students have used Dana Dakin’s inspiring interview as a segue into this project.
It seems fitting to spend Civil Rights Day at AE/MS thinking about responding to Dr. King’s question, “What are you doing for others?” The future is in good hands, because AE/MS students already have many ideas of how they can and will make a positive difference in the world. Their enthusiasm is boundless and reassuring.