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Middle school students learn to ‘Pay it Forward’
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The pay it forward project was spearheaded by the eighth-grade language arts faculty. Teachers Amy Fitzgerald, Barb Tomic, and Gail Blevins have helped some students find projects to pay it forward, but they insist that much of the creativity came from their students. Also involved, but not pictured, is teacher Michelle Best.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Students at Austintown Middle School learned about the meaning of giving during the month of December, as they worked to "pay it forward" by doing good deeds around the community. Some of the students who participated included Andrea Fitzgerald (left), Dylan Latone, Hayley Fick, Makaila Barbel, Leah Evick, Jazmine Dandridge, and Gina Farmintino (right).
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The AMS "Pay it Forward" project has students doing everything from shoveling sidewalks to volunteering at nursing homes. Leah Evick decided to create straw and colored duct tape flowers (in hands) that she donated to Akron Children's Hospital. .
By SARAH FOOR
It started one late-fall afternoon at Austintown Middle School.
The movie “Pay It Forward” was shown during class time. As the film outlined the series of good deeds that asked recipients to “pay it forward” by doing a good deed for another, the eighth-grade language arts teachers decided their students could benefit from the same process.
“We spend so much time teaching our kids to prepare for tests,” eighth-grade teacher Amy Fitzgerald explained, “that I think we forget to teach them how to care for their community and how to be good people. Our pay it forward project hopes to fill that gap.”
The eighth-grade language arts faculty — Fitzgerald, Bob Tomic, Gail Blevins and Michelle Best — first joined the vast online community that shares “Pay It Forward” projects happening in schools and communities across the country. Then, they handed the project to their students, asking them to write a business proposal outlining three good deeds they hoped to achieve. Since then, the creativity of the students has amazed the teachers.
Student Andrea Fitzgerald shoveled the driveways and walks of her entire block. Leah Evick made flowers with straws and colored duct tape to give to children at Akron Children’s Hospital.
Gina Farmintino is babysitting free of charge. Hayley Fick is planning to give out cookies at nursing homes and tutor special needs students.
“Most people think others are only thinking about themselves, but that’s not necessarily true. We should show how much love there is in the world, and ‘Pay it Forward’ does that,” said Farmintino.
“We’re crying over here,” Gail Blevins said of her fellow teachers after Farmintino’s wise words. “After so many years of teaching, it’s easy to think that the students care less. Really, if you take the time to talk to them, they actually care more. They just need the chance to shine.”