Champion students working to make a difference in the community
Students at Champion high school are working to make a difference in their community. It's all inspired by their 12th-grade English teacher Mr. Sheldon.
Every year Mr. Sheldon has his English classes read ' The Last lecture'. Then his students work to come up with these Making Difference projects based on the lessons in the book.
The Last Lecture is written by a Carnegie Mellon professor who was dying and the university recorded his last lecture and put it on YouTube.
The video went viral and the book is somewhat about that experience and the life lessons he's leaving behind for his own kids essentially.
The lessons also pertain a lot to seniors and what they're going through as they end this chapter of their lives.
"We gleaned a lesson in a way that we can teach and inspire dreams in others. We wanted to have the students feel like they can make a difference in the world around them and that's the basis of the project," said James Sheldon, English teacher at CHS.
Some of the projects include gathering clothes, games and cards for children's services, making a group for the LGBTQ community so they can feel more welcomed, collecting stuffed animals and making cards for the Ronald McDonald House and many more groups.
Terra Hogarth, a senior at CHS was behind collecting clothes, games and other items for Children Services. " From the time I was in 7th grade until February of 2020, I was in and out of the Residential unit and I know what these kids went through. I wanted to do something special for them."
Some other projects included making a group for the LGBTQ community so they can feel more welcomed. They plan to have their first meeting Monday afternoon. Making cards for the Ronal McDonald House, and painting a mural to help end the stigma against mental health at CHS.
Making difference projects have been going on for 5 years and Mr. Sheldon has been running it for 4 years.
" I have the best job in the world to see these students leaders reach out to the community with their projects. It makes me very proud to be their principal," said Tracy Herrholltz, Principle of CHS.
