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closeStudents take charge
March Gladness programs feature students making a difference
Chris Albert
Last week, a group of 20 students in the Puyallup School District’s Advance program got to work making 390 ham and cheese sandwiches for homeless individuals in Pierce County.
It was just one of the several ways more than 10,000 students in the district are taking charge to help their communities as part of March Gladness, the month-long community service effort.
“What I think it brings to them (the students) is they’re included as part of the district,” said Suzan Zakhary, assistant director of special education.
The Advance program is a special education program that helps students who have graduated transition from high school to the responsibilities of adulthood.
“They learn that we do have some hungry and needy people (in our community),” Zakhary said.
And this is just one of several student groups from elementary to high school and beyond that have taken charge to help the community.
Officially, March Gladness has taken place for the last three years and through student leadership it gives students the chance to provide civic contributions to the community.
“It really had it’s genesis before that,” said Chris Loftis, executive director of Communities in Schools of Puyallup.
After the tsunami in 2004 devastated much of East Asia, he was contacted by the district to help coordinate a support effort that Puyallup schools could join.
“Everyone was going to do something,” he said.
What came out of that idea was students throughout the district helped raise about $23,000 and other donations to make about 11,000 health kits for people in East Asia.
That following year Hurricane Katrina ripped through the United States Gulf Coast and students went into action again. Through penny drives and a donation booth at The Puyallup Fair, students were able to raise more than $100,000 to help refurbish schools in New Orleans, Mississippi and Texas.
From there the question was asked “How can we build on this?” Loftis said.
The first two times the action was reactionary, but it can take place every year without having to have a disaster, he said.
The district had also discovered through a 2004 study that less than 20 percent of its students felt valued by the community and determined that by providing service they would see how truly valuable their impact is, Loftis said.
“They are looking for something that shows their relevance,” he said. “They are hungry for a chance to make a difference.”
A group of students were organized to come up with a way they could be a part of the community and they came up with March Gladness. There would be an emphasis on providing kindness every year during the month of March.
It has grown from about 1,000 participating in its first year to more than 10,000 last year and much more once the totals are tallied this year.
“You really just had an explosion of participation,” Loftis said.
That’s student leadership and participation has blossomed into basically running all the different events during the month, Loftis said. He’s been really hands off in planning this year and students from all grade levels have taken the lead in getting things accomplished.
There are a lot of students who put a penny in a jar during penny drives, but even more so there are ones who are making sure those jars are there in the first place, he said.
“Just having a focus, it’s amazing what they can get done,” Loftis said.
Students want to make a difference, they just didn’t know how, he said. Teaching them how to accomplish that has been a great reward.
“You have to decide to make the world a better place,” Loftis said. “You have to decide to make and build a community. That’s what we’re trying to encourage them to do.”
This month alone, students at Woodland Elementary school took on the task of raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. As a first time participator they have raised more than $6,200. That’s first in the state and $2,000 more than any other school and they are still raising money.
The activism students have taken has led to The Puyallup Fair awarding a $1,500 scholarship recognizing the Puyallup Student Citizen of the Year. The student who best exemplifies positive community impact will be awarded $500 for college, $500 for themselves and $500 to be awarded to a charity of their choice.
“It helps the kid become who they want to be,” Loftis said. “(And) impacts what they care about right in their community.”