Nicole Mirti and Jordan Braymiller, who chose the issue of child abuse and neglect, developed and distributed flyers to elementary schools in Laurens District 56 with statistics about the frequency of child abuse and the warning signs of an abused child.Reacting to a survey of second graders at Clinton Elementary School, which found that many did not like to read, Brittany Greer and Emily Harstead raised money from local businesses for reading props, such as hats, puppets, and costumes, to make reading fun and exciting. Jenny Gray Childs also worked to promote reading by collecting over 300 books for children of low socio-economic levels. Children came to the M. S. Bailey Elementary School library and picked out their very own books to take home.

Senior Education major Matthew Elliott demonstrated perhaps the greatest devotion of self to the project. Completing his practicum at M.S. Bailey Elementary, he noticed that the school had very little sports equipment and what it did have was in poor condition. The school needed soccer balls, soccer goals, and basketball equipment. An avid runner and member of the cross-country team all four years at PC, Matthew believes strongly in physical fitness and health education. He combined his two passions, sports and education, to complete this project: running a marathon to raise money for equipment. Elliott asked community members, family, and peers to sponsor his run by pledging so much per mile or giving a lump donation. His race of 26.2 miles raised $1100 for sports equipment. M.S. Bailey students ran part of the first mile with him and cheered him on at the end. "I wanted to have a challenge that pushed me beyond my limits," Elliott said. "The children I work with face challenges every day that I could not even fathom as a child. I wanted to do something to show them that someone cares about them." The advocacy assignment required Lee's students to turn in stages of their project as it progressed. In a final presentation to the class and a final paper, they reported on what actions they took to achieve their goals, the research they did to learn more about their particular area of advocacy, and the overall results. They also reflected on what the project meant to them. While certain she will assign the project again, Lee plans to ask for more frequent reports on the stages of the project so that she will be able keep students on track.

Lee encourages meaningful learning in all her classes, believing that teaching is not an isolated profession but requires constant involvement from parents, volunteers, and advocates in the community. She thinks that her students were able to accomplish more than she imagined because they became personally connected to a greater cause.

Molly Irwin