At NEED, we love what we do. We are always honored that you love it too! So it’s always a real treat to hear how our curriculum and commitment to student leadership impacts students across the country. Recently, an Elementary School in Rhode Island shared a story that touched us and we wanted to share it with you.
I needed to share this story with you regarding our visit to North Scituate Elementary School. Shannon and I took students from our collaboratively instructed class and students from the high school’s NEED Club to visit North Scituate Elementary school on Friday afternoon. The students presented information to third grade classes on transportation fuels and announced our intention to use the raised garden beds we constructed to plant a garden at the school. The third graders worked hard preparing for our visit using the NEED Elementary Transportation Fuels Infobook. The presentations went well. As one of the special needs students was departing for his resource hour (this young man is autistic), he turned and made an announcement to our students. He said, “I want to thank you all for coming. You are role models to me and I want to be just like you guys when I get to the middle school. I am making a note of that.” He then left. The students were flattered, but it was not until the teacher came up to me with tears in hers eyes and said, “That young man has never spoken to anyone outside people he knew in that way. He has never reached beyond himself that way. Please tell your students.” Well, I did and now I am telling you both about our amazing students and about how this young man connected with students teaching students, the very goal of NEED. I can’t wait to return and plant seeds in the raised beds with this young man. WOW! This is a life changer.