Feature Story

*As part of my Professional Communication coursework, I wrote this hard news story. This has not been published in any place other than this blog.

8th Grade Students Learn to Improve Their Community

It’s early Friday morning, about an hour and a half after sunrise, but there is no sound to be heard. Standing on a street corner at the top of the hill is a figure in all black. Blue and green strands of hair stand out against the black hat keeping the face from view. A large, dark bag sits at his feet. He stands motionless for a few minutes until a loud rumbling begins. He grabs the bag by the strap, throws it over his shoulder, and steps forward. A school bus pulls up. Silence is quickly replaced with loud chattering and laughter, and the boy is greeted with a loud, “Hi Grant!” from a seat towards the back of the bus.

Today is the day the 7th and 8th grade students from Fernwood Elementary leave for their trip to Camp Matawa, in Southeast Wisconsin. They will spend five days at the YMCA camp participating in various activities. Representatives from the YMCA boast that it is “a great place to make new friends, learn about nature and have fun.” There’s more to the camp than just fun and games, though.

Grant and his friend Essavier, both in 8th grade, went to Camp Matawa last year as well. “Camp sounds fun, but we actually do a lot of work,” Grant explained, “[Last year,] we re-shoed the horses and cleaned up after the cows [at a nearby farm].” Grant also feels that combining service work with recreation will help to give adults a positive perception of people his age. “I know a lot of adults think we just start trouble and act stupid, but maybe if they knew about the good stuff we do, they’d see us differently,” Grant said.

Matthew Ray, Grant’s teacher, feels similarly. He and his students also have a project, begun in 2007, in which the students built and continue to tend to a greenhouse on the school grounds. “You hear about ‘going green,’ but kids don’t always understand what that means. Tending to these plants and learning about the environment really give them a concrete example of why we should take care of our planet,” Ray explains.

“Working in the greenhouse makes me feel like we’re doing more than just going to school,” Grant said, smiling. “It feels like the greenhouse is mine, so I really like that,” he continued.Students take part in caring for the plants year round. Fernwood is a neighborhood school, so it is easy for children to attend summer programs and keep an eye on their project during the summer as well.