Traditions are important in many communities, and at Westerly Elementary School, Mrs. Woodburn and Mrs. Mahall’s fourth graders have a long standing tradition of helping those less fortunate. The Bay Village students made eleven blankets from scratch for students at Halle Elementary in Cleveland. They even prepared holiday skits to perform for their peers at Halle.
The project is much bigger than the fourth graders helping others. The Bay Village Kiwanis Club provided the financial support the students needed to buy the materials for the blankets. The Kiwanis Club is an international organization that works to help children.
Garrett told us that they made the blankets out of fleece material. Ben told us that his blanket was made from tie dyed fleece and multi-colored fleece. The students walked us through the process of making a blanket. They told us that they had to really apply their math skills when they measured the materials. Elise explained that they had to use rulers to make four inch cuts along the cloth. After the cloth was cut, they tied the large pieces of fleece together which made a cozy double-sided blanket, Amelia added.
Their community service doesn’t stop there! The fourth graders also make and sell keychains, with the help of their first grade buddies at Normandy Elementary School, to help support Fill This House, which is a program intended to help children aging out of foster care. They also make design and sell notecards help support the Village Project, which is an organization that helps families affected by cancer. This is an impressive group of Rockets!
“It’s important to help other people, even if there’s no reward,” Jillian told us.
Mrs. Woodburn told us that she’s very proud of how mature her students are and their commitment to mentoring their first grade buddies.
Mrs. Mahall added that the students are very goal oriented and that the job of the teachers is to give the students the opportunities they need to meet their goals.
This week’s A+ Award winners are Mrs. Woodburn and Mrs. Mahall's fourth graders at Westerly Elementary school for going above and beyond with their commitment to community service. We’re proud of you!
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