Recently a group of students at Clearview Elementary took on the challenge of writing two grants to help benefit their community. Last week they were excited to learn they had been awarded both.

 

Their first grant, Recycling and Composting, was written by six students in the school’s Targeted Resources Club (Cougar Club) and was inspired by Custodian Gary Gohmann. District 742 was looking for ways to reduce waste and was discussing purchasing color coded containers to make it easier for staff and students to recycle; black for regular trash, blue for recycling materials, and green for items that can be composted.

 

During Cougar Club students discussed environmental health and advisor Andrea Coulter asked Gohmann to come in and explain to the students why it was important not to taint the recycling and how doing so correctly helped make his job easier.

 

One of the students, Shayla W., decided to create a power point about the issue, which is currently featured on Clearview’s website. This started the other students thinking, and the fifth and sixth graders came up with a plan to write a grant to help them purchase the new color coded recycling bins for their school. Coulter asked fellow teacher Patti Clymer to get involved because of her background in grant writing. 

 

Both grants were written through St. Cloud Youth as Resources, which is funded by St. Cloud Community Education. Youth as Resources is an organization of fifth through twelfthgrade students who meet once a month from October through May to review and approve service-learning grants for youth led projects. 

 

After learning they’d received the $467 grant, the thrilled students brought Gohmann in to tell him the news. 

 

“I was very encouraged to see all the kids get excited about it,” said Gohmann. “It’s really dependent on them and their interest to carry on with this. The project is a win/win; financially, for the community, and for the environment.” 

 

The second grant, Heal and Remember, was written by the Clearview Student Council, and is in memory of their classmate Kayleen Larson, who passed away from Leukemia three years ago. One of the missions of the student council is to give back to the community. 

 

Sixth graders Haley D. and Grace M. spearheaded the grant. 

 

“Right before Kayleen passed away we had a big sleepover at her house,” said Haley. “We wanted to write this in memory of her and let other cancer patients know there were people praying for them and thinking of them.”

 

Coulter shared a book with the students named Sweet Pea & Friends, The SheepOver, which is a story about a lamb that gets sick. When she gets better the farm animals all have a big sleep (sheep) over to celebrate. The students knew they wanted to give something to the Children’s Hospital of Minneapolis, which is where Kayleen stayed, and felt the book was the perfect thing to give other children fighting cancer.

 

“I’m student council president and we wanted to do something to remember Kayleen,” said Grace M., who was both a friend and neighbor to Kayleen. “Every year we try to do something to honor her.”

 

Along with Sweet Pea & Friends, The SheepOver, the group decided they wanted to include a stuffed animal sheep along with things like a pencil and activity book. 

 

“I went to visit Kayleen at the hospital,” said Grace. “They have Star Studio (the hospital’s in-house TV studio) and kids can win prizes. I got to see the joy Kayleen got from receiving things, she liked that a lot. We decided even if we didn’t get the grant we wanted to push forward and get the money somehow.” 

 

With the $1,000 they received, the students’ goal is to create 40 ‘SheepOver’ sets, and they hope to be able to personally deliver them to the Children’s Hospital. 

 

“I’ve always loved helping people, so being able to do this is very fun,” said Haley. 

 

“I’ve learned to give rather than receive because you make people happy,” added Grace.

 

Diane Diego Ohmann, who is the youth development and youth service coordinator at Youth as Resources, stated it’s important to note students write the grants themselves along with coming up with the ideas; the adults involved are only there to help. The goal is for students to find a need in the community and also be able to apply it to the classroom. For example, when writing their Recycling and Composting Grant, the students had to research and use their math and writing skills.

 

There are currently 23 students from around the district serving as the youth board of directors at Youth as Resources, and they typically review two grants per month. Along with funding from St. Cloud Community Education, the students also hold a variety of fundraisers each year. 

 

“Students ‘own’ these projects,” said Ohmann. “They’re the ones coming up with the ideas and they’re the ones following through with them.”