AES students excel in civic mindedness

Two pairs of fifth grade students at Apalachin Elementary School (AES) recently channeled their energies in organizing separate projects, one of which benefited the local community and another that will support military personnel stationed away from home.

All part of the “Genius Hour,” an educational movement that allows students to tap into their creativity and follow a passion, the scope is multifaceted, and for the AES students, resulted in a positive civic mindset.

Genius Hour is a concept made popular in the workplace by Google and 3M. For example, when Google and 3M employees were given time to work on a passion-driven project, Post-It-Notes and Gmail were invented.

Jen Gibson, a teacher in the STEAM (Science • Technology • Engineering • Agriculture/Arts • Math) classroom at AES, explained that Genius Hour is part of the regular schedule for all grade levels and allows students time to explore topics outside of the classroom setting. 

Critical skills such as project management, communications, and follow through were learned by both pairs of students, as well as compassion for others; and in addition, awareness and appreciation for the sacrifice our military personnel and their families extend.

Students Shannon Maslin and Alexis Herceg chose to manage a clothing drive, where they took charge of the project from start to finish while Gibson offered guidance.  

“We learned how to be helpful,” the duo said, and explained that within the process they wrote a script and read it aloud several times during school announcements, and also teamed up to make posters.

During the period March 6 through April 20, the girls collected as many as 15 bags of clothing from their school network. Several items, Alexis pointed out, were much needed winter weather apparel. All items were donated to the Open Door Mission, and the girls were responsible for arranging the pickup time and also carrying out the items to be loaded onto the Mission truck.

For Lexi Gunther and Lana Corson, they explained that their project led them to “Help the troops.” They added, “We should do something for them, because they do so much for us.”

To prepare for the project, the girls attended a meeting at the Vestal Elks Lodge #2508, where they learned about a Veterans Committee project called “Packages for Our Troops.” While on-site, they toured the operational room where packages are assembled.

An initiative started in 2007, the Elks Veterans Committee ships as many as 15 boxes per month, totaling upwards of 400 pounds, to military personnel. Each box, filled with snacks and an assortment of personal and seasonal items, is shared by the recipient, a Tioga or Broome County resident, amongst fellow service members.  

Through June 13, Lexi and Lana are collecting snack items for the troop packages, and the public is welcome to participate. Items being collected are granola bars, trail mix, beef jerky or Slim Jims, canned tuna or chicken (must be pull-tab or in a pouch), cookies, powdered drink mixes (for use in bottled water) and salty snacks (nuts, sunflower seeds, etc.).

In addition to school announcements, the girls explained that part of the project, too, is keeping a tally by grade of the items collected. The grade that collects the most will be rewarded with an ice cream party.

When asked what else they have learned, the duo shared, “We can get more done when we work together,” and added, “We hope we will encourage others, too.”

Gibson remarked, “The students really took it a step further than what I originally anticipated.”

Big life lessons for fifth graders who also said that they hope they have set a good example for the entire school.

Gibson said that a collection bin would be set up soon in the AES lobby.

Questions can be directed to (607) 687-6289.