Students’ Interests Driving School-Wide Events

Pictured above: Middle school students helping stock the shelves at The Maine Health Food Pantry as part of their middle school Random Acts of Kindness elective.

At Friends School this Fall, middle school students organized both a school-wide food drive and a first-ever school-wide Everything Swap.

A School-Wide Food Drive emerged in November:

Aliza's fifth and sixth-grade students began asking questions about the Supplemental Nutrition Access Program (SNAP). Questions had been bubbling up in classes: "What is SNAP?" "Why are people worried about not receiving SNAP?" "What can we do?"  As students learned more, they helped take on organizing a school-wide food drive.

Students visited Growing to Give Farm in Brunswick and learned about their goals to donate farm-fresh food to food pantries. Then, during a Friday Assembly, FSP parent, Gillian Cridler, visited to share about the important role that food pantries have in Maine.

Students asked questions like:

How much food do you give out each week? each year?

Do people shop at a food pantry, or do they get a pre-packed box of items that you have?

Do you give treats out, like unhealthy food that is fun?

What's the most popular food item?

Students learned about the specific shelf-stable items that are helpful to donate at the Maine Health Food Pantry: shelf-stable milk, tinned fish, canned tomatoes, shelf-stable milk, and snacks for kids.

Over a week, families pitched in to donate 200+ lbs of food. What began with a few questions from fifth and sixth-grade students transformed into a school-wide service-learning project.

A Boot Swap that Evolved into a First-Ever Everything Swap:

During the first few months of the year, a conversation evolved over lunch and recess. In past years, parents have organized boot swaps and more. But this year, a few middle school students began the conversation of what kind of swap they might want to attend. As the idea grew, a boot swap, then a clothing swap, soon became a successful Everything Swap. A crew of middle school students took on organizing the event to lower our impact on the environment and have fun while doing it. Families and friends were invited to swap clothes, games, boots, an air fryer, a mohete, and more! Items that weren't swapped were then distributed to Maine Needs, Goodwill, and an outdoor program working with New Mainers in Westbrook.

After students reflected on how it felt to organize the swap.

Students shared:

“It was really cool how everyone found something that was perfect for them.”

“It was a good community experience. We got to get together and pass along things that we don’t use.”  

“I think it’s important to recycle, and this is the most fun way to do it.” 

There is talk of a Spring swap... make sure to keep your ears open for the next one!