Middle School students in Brian Sorrow's Social Studies classes embraced an innovative project idea brought to them by their teacher earlier this school year - raise funds for Woodward's Zambian sister school, the Terranova School, without asking family members for direct contributions. Instead, the Early Entrepreneurs found ways to earn money by selling goods or services.
They learned lessons along the way. By February, they only had managed to make $200. But students picked up their efforts and, on May 10 at a Middle School assembly, presented President Stuart Gulley with a check for $10,890 to provide fresh water to villagers in the area of the Terranova School, where access to water is scarce. The students found many different ways of earning money, including babysitting, working in an animal clinic part-time, holding a bake sale, selling socks and selling bowls made from recycled magazines.
Dr. Gulley challenged the entire Middle School student body to bring in $10 of their own money on Friday, May 11, to earn an out-of-uniform day and increase contributions for Terranova. By combining those proceeds with the Early Entrepreneurs project income and funds raised by the Middle School Green Team, Woodward hopes to provide fresh water as well as new dormitory housing to replace grass huts at Terranova this summer, says George Dietz, Middle School Assistant Principal and the coordinator for several years of summer trips to Terranova.