Continued from last week: Below is a series of letters from Nicole Campbell’s Participation in Government class regarding community service projects they undertook for credit.
To the editor:
In my Participation in Government/Economics class at Baker High School, we watched the movie “Pay It Forward.” This movie was actually very enjoyable, and I loved everything about it including the music, the acting and the plot. The movie revolves around the idea of “paying it forward,” which means that if someone does a good deed for you, you then have to help three other people. It states that a small act of kindness can stretch into something so much bigger.
So, as a random act of kindness, a group of four other students and I ordered 200 fortune cookies and handed them out in first period classrooms in our school on Monday, June 6. We put them on the chairs and desks of students and teachers, so when they arrived at school they would have a special treat waiting for them. Although many people were confused as to where they came from and why whoever planted those cookies did it, they seemed grateful and enjoyed reading their fortune. We were informed that one student in the orchestra did not want theirs, so they gave it to another student. Without even realizing it, they “paid it forward” by performing another act of kindness towards someone. This definitely embodies the purpose of what we did, so it was a successful action that we enjoyed doing for our school and our fellow classmates in our last week of school at Baker.
Carly Madden
Baker High School
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To the editor:
My group for my Participation in Government class in school made an effort to improve issues both on a local and global level. We focused on raising suicide awareness with one project and conducting a book drive with another.
Library drive
Learning is one the most important aspects of life. Outside of establishments of education, there are very few places where one can gain knowledge concerning a variety of topics. Such a place would be the library. Due to advancements in technology, these libraries are losing their value in society because they have lost their role to other medias.
Although it may seem counterproductive to keep these outdated databases, they still remain as one the most important components to communities. Libraries are more than just a place to learn, it is a place where communities are able to build stronger bonds among their citizens. Just recently, my participation in government teacher, Ms. Campbell, hosted a community event in our local library. The purpose of this event was to inform members of our community about the efforts that students have made to improve problems either on a local or global level. It wasn’t just the guests who attended the event that learned something; students of our high school were able to learn an important lesson about community — that if we were to gather and work together, we would create a strong force capable of making a change. But this wouldn’t be possible without a place to gather in. That’s the role that the library serves in our community, as a place for people to come together.
Libraries have been an important establishment to society and will always be. Unfortunately, not all communities are able to maintain their local libraries. For instance, the library of a Cortland elementary school suffered water damages and as a result, lost a good portion of their collection of books. My group conducted a book drive to help resupply the library. We were able to obtain a decent supply and ship the books to the library. Hopefully, the books that we have donated will be of use to the children of that school.
Suicide awareness
In the world, suicide is the third leading cause of death among people between the ages of 15 and 24. The fact that a lot of young people are dying is a worrisome enough statement alone. Because a good portion of these deaths are people performing their own deaths makes the situation even worse. The youth of this world is also its future. What kind of future will the world have if it’s marked by the death of the people who were suppose to create it?
My generation has to put an effort to prevent the suicide of their fellow people. We need to alert people that suicide is a part of reality and that there is help available to anyone who feels suicidal.
This is where my group’s mission comes into play. As a class project, my group conducted a lollipop sale within our school. We sold two lollipops for a dollar among our classmates. Each lollipop had a message attached to them containing a note to encourage happiness. Customers were supposed to keep one lollipop for themselves and give the other to someone else. This way our mission to encourage happiness was spread among more people. We sold a total of 92 lollipops to our peers and donated $46 to The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide. This cause specializes in raising awareness among young people, which blended well with our mission.
Through our mission, we were able to inform people on a local level about a global issue. Although what we did was simple, it was all that was needed to save a life. As long as people are surrounded by happiness, then there would be no reason to leave this world.
Joshua de Gracia
Baker High School
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To the editor:
We are a group of five students at Baker High School. Our group increased suicide awareness in our school and raised money for The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide. Suicide is a large issue: suicide is the second leading cause of death among teenagers in the United States.
First, we purchased lollipops and candy. Then, we cut pieces of paper and put uplifting messages on them. We then attached these messages to the lollipops. Finally, we put up posters around the school. We encouraged students to put the messages on these posters — the messages were two different colors, so when all the messages were on the poster, they formed a large picture. Also, we sold these lollipops only in groups of two, encouraging people to give one to someone else. We wanted people to come together as a school community.
Also, we collected books for Barry Elementary Library in Cortland. The school received water damage. We collected 18 books for grades K-6. We hoped that these books would help children gain an appreciation for reading and learning.
Eugene Kim
Baker High School
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To the editor:
Thank you for your support for CNY Cat Coalition. Your contribution is much appreciated and will go far in improving the current situation for a number of animals. It is supporters like you who make it possible for these animals to be cared for and eventually adopted out into new families. Thank you for giving them a chance.
Although the concept of paying it forward is neglected by a lot of people because of the amount of effort and time needed in order to do someone a favor, the overall feeling that one can be left with after doing so can be thought of as rewarding on its own. I have one recent example to share. When my father needed to take down some trees in the yard, it took him away from other things that he usually does for the family. He is always, always doing for his family. Therefore I felt it would be helpful if I stepped up and took over the mowing and other yard work in addition to helping him bring down the trees. At the end of the day, although he was exhausted, it was clear that he and the rest of the household was much less stressed by the day’s workload because it had been shared.
Isabel Anjorin
Baker High School
