Team takes action

Mike James / The Independent

Wurtland December 07, 2006 11:37 pm

— Solving community problems is hard work.
A group of Wurtland Middle School eighth-graders found that out recently when it put on a night of family fun at the school.
“We didn’t even go home after school,” said Emily Johnson, one of about half a dozen members of Wurtland’s Community Problem Solving Team. “We’ve been working from eighth period on.”
But there’s no problem too complex for a crew of middle-schoolers to tackle with some cookies and crafts and a few laughs.
For the Wurtland team, it was the growing distance among families that bothered them so they decided to do something about it.
Families need to spend more time together, they mused. What better way to make that happen than to set up some activities and invite the other children at school to bring their parents along for the evening, they decided.
And that’s why Emily and Lauren Evans were wrapping colored paper around cardboard boxes in one classroom while in the practical living lab Megan Kincaid and Elizabeth Lott were giggling over a mixer full of frosting destined for the tray of sugar cookies on the shelf beside them.
Their ambitious schedule included making Christmas ornaments, face painting, cookie decorating, basketball and Dance Dance Revolution.
Yes, they’ve got guidance from faculty sponsor Lori Newman, but when it comes to action, Newman is sticking to a pretty much hands-off policy.
“I’m pretty amazed at these kids. I’ve tried to let the kids do as much as possible. I just keep them on track. All the ideas are their own. They’re a pretty self-motivated team.”
Perhaps most motivated is Madison Mantz, who asked about forming the team earlier this year. She’d been on a future problem-solving team since fourth grade and enjoyed the mental exertion of grappling with real-world problems.
Future problem solving and community problem solving teams are a part of the academic team and their projects are entered into the yearly Governor’s Cup competition.
Community problem solving appealed to Madison because it isn’t confined to the theoretical. “It’s real instead of hypothetical. I thought it would be so neat to go out in the community and find problems to solve,” she said.
Academic team coach Roxanna Jacobs concurred and put her in charge of assembling a team; Madison pitched it to her friends and soon had her corps.
Their first job, of course, was to identify a problem to tackle. After some interviews with adult leaders such as their principal, Tracy Claxon, and Mike Hieneman, a county commissioner, they noticed one concept kept popping up — the fragmented nature of modern families.
Wouldn’t it be nice to do something to nudge families closer together, they thought.
So that’s what they did. They kicked around ideas for activities entire families would enjoy together. Then they spent weeks planning and preparing and putting it all together.
The activities were set up to encourage as much family interaction as possible, Elizabeth Lott said. “We thought it would be a pretty good way to keep closeness and communication between kids and parents.”
For instance, while they’re making a Christmas ornament, parents and kids will have to coordinate colors and share materials, she said.
On the night of the bash, it was clear the students took the team concept seriously, doing just about all their prep work in groups. Just getting the tray of 150 sugar cookies from the cafeteria to their work room took three of them, one at either end of the tray and the third to help guide them around the corners.
The Family Winter Bash drew about 60 to the school, and on a Friday night at that, which encourages the team to move on to more family togetherness projects, such as outings to Greenbo.
With the confidence of youth, they believe few enterprises are beyond the abilities of a resolute bunch of kids. “I think we’re capable. We’re smart and determined,” Madison said. “We don’t just want to sit around and do nothing.”