Morningside Elementary in Great Falls, Montana understands how to motivate students and how to teach them about charity work. When Melody Stevens, a popular kindergarten teacher, was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, the school decided to show its support by joining Pop Tabs for Charity through the National Institutes of Health Charities.
The idea is for the children to bring pop tabs to school (those little tabs you find on the top of your soda can). Fourth grade teacher Jennifer Westermeyer is in charge of the collection. She explained that the school is about a third of the way towards its goal of having one million tabs. Once they’ve reached their goal they’ll take the tabs to a recycling center where they’ll receive money. With the money, they plan to donate to NIH Charities, putting money towards health charities and cancer research.
Westermeyer explained, “We have a contest going on right now. The classroom that collects the most will get a pop party with us at the end of the year.” Beyond the excitement of the pop party, the children are learning about compassion. As Melody Stevens said, “classrooms are getting together, children, staff, people outside of the school are donating. Cancer affects everyone.”
The school is certainly teaching its student amazing lessons. As Mrs. Stevens gets stronger each day, she recounts an example of the support that she has been receiving. “We decide to all wear hats the day I was coming in with a hat and no hair, so {the principal}heard of it and he had the entire school wear hats, so when I walked out and saw that, it was amazing”.
Anyone who has a desire to help can bring in or mail tabs to the Morningside Elementary School.