Social studies class inspires Marlowe Middle School students to ‘make a difference’

Among the many lessons learned by sixth graders at Marlowe Middle School in Lake in the Hills, one especially has resonated: Anyone can make a difference.

“Even a bunch of middle schoolers,” sixth grader Brynn Laird said.

Under the guidance of co-teachers Ryan Starnes and Amy Ehman, she and her fellow classmates recently raised more than $4,000 to help fix a broken water infiltration system in a village in Uganda. Because of their efforts, more than 1,000 people now have access to running water.

The fundraising effort began after students read the book “A Long Walk to Water,” a true story by Linda Sue Park, as part of a social studies lesson. The book interweaves the stories of two Sudanese children, including one girl, Nya, who must fetch water from a pond that is a two-hour walk from her home.

After hearing of struggles in the world around them, students wanted to do more than simply learn about them. They asked if they could help.

“This all came from the kids,” said Starnes, a sixth grade social studies teacher. “This was their idea.”

Ehman, a sixth grade resource teacher, reached out to a Naperville teen she previously taught as a cross country and track and field coach. The teen, Lucy Westlake, now serves as an ambassador for WaterStep.

The nonprofit WaterStep works to save lives with safe water by collecting donations of new and gently used shoes to then resell to vendors. The money is used to buy water filtration systems for rural villages in need.

Along with 623 pairs of shoes, Marlowe students also sold stickers and sweatshirts as part of Westlake’s fundraising efforts.

“The best part of this project is knowing how many people in our school wanted to help,” Laird said. “We came together to help support an important cause.”

Fundraising efforts like this at Marlowe go back at least five years, when social studies students first raised enough money to help drill a well in South Sudan, said Starnes, who has taught for the last 14 years.

“I’ve always enjoyed relationships with kids and helping them find themselves and work through these tough middle school years together, and I try to make learning fun for them so they want to come to school,” he said.

To engage students, he and Ehman have worked together to turn their lessons into “change-maker projects.”

“We decided at the end of the unit it’s our job to help those in need,” said Ehman, who has taught for the past 13 years.

“We don’t have to have a lot of money. We don’t have to be rich celebrities. We don’t have to be adults. Anyone can help just by doing a little here and there. The idea is for them to keep this in mind and have this value that they want to help and continue on doing their best. We want to keep that momentum going.”

Like Starnes, one of the reasons she became a teacher is to be a trusted adult for students. She wants them to know they can go to her if they need anything.

“Kids are amazing,” she said. “They are smart, creative, joyful and witty. … While I’m teaching my students how they can make a positive difference in the world around them, they are already doing that in my life as we learn and experience new things together everyday.”