February's School of the Month
The School of the Month for February is Horace Mann Middle School of Sheboygan, Wisconsin!
After studying the Holocaust in their integrated language arts and social studies classes in the spring 0f 2007, students learned about the current genocide happening today in Darfur. Inspired by Gandhi's quote, "Be the change that you want to see in the world," they researched, created public service announcements, personal statements and brochures, and wrote letters to Wisconsin politicians to promote awareness. They sponsored a Dance for Darfur, held a bratwurst fry and bake sale, and placied donation boxes at local businesses. A "Dew for Darfur" promotion was a student-generated idea where students could buy a can of Mountain Dew for a friend with a special message indicating their thanks for "dewing" for Darfur. The motivation behind the campaign was to spread school-wide awareness and increase student involvement. Many students also bought and proudly wore Save Darfur t-shirts and sweatshirts from the Save Darfur Coalition.
Horace Mann's second campaign took place in late spring of 2008, with sixth grade students joining the seventh grade group in their efforts to raise money and promote awareness. Expanding on 2007's successful campaign, this new group of 180 students participated in a bowl-a-thon and added a car wash to their second annual Save Darfur bratwurst fry/ bake sale. The Dew for Darfur campaign was tweaked by adding the sale of orange soda cans, making the new slogan, "Orange you gonna Dew for Darfur?"
Their third campaign begins in early February with fundraising to take place throughout the spring. This year's projects will once again involve seventh graders, along with eighth graders. Many of this year's group are veterans from last year and are eager to put their experience to good use. Their goals this year focus on getting our community involved by creating and giving presentations to local organizations and businesses. One of the new fundraising ideas is a Save Darfur t-shirt design contest, with students voting for their favorite designs by donating a quarter per vote in the designer's voting bucket. T-shirts featuring the winning design will be sold school wide. Another new idea is their "Have a Heart" promotion in mid February, with students purchasing candy hearts for their friends encouraging them to "Have a Heart" for Darfur. The students hope to get TV and newspaper coverage of these events and plan to invite a Darfur activist to speak at their school.
Check out a slideshow featuring Horace Mann's students and activities!