By Chase Mielke
The evening is warm and humid. People of all ages and backgrounds stretch along the local park as bluesy rock music thumps the air, played passionately by a group of students. Nearly everyone is wearing a “Spread Positivity” t-shirt. Free popsicles are passed around. A collection jar is stuffed with change. Its a free concert put on by students for the entire town in an effort to create something positive. The project will go on to raise hundreds of dollars for our schools future “positivity projects.”
The “Spread Positivity Project” is among the dozens of successful projects that Ive seen and helped students create as a part of a unit on group problem solving. Students have collected and donated hundreds of shoes and clothing items for Third World countries and local causes. Ive seen students create fundraising workouts for the Wounded Warriors Project. Ive seen students raise thousands of dollars for a classmate who was re-diagnosed with cancer, and in the process spark what would become an inspiring non-profit, DC Strong, that now raises even more thousands of dollars for children battling cancer.