Accord School students in Norwell turn financial literacy lesson into act of kindness
NORWELL - What started out as a simple project in Laurene Waltman's math class at The Accord School, an independent middle school in Norwell, ended up as a huge act of kindness.
Students were learning about financial literacy. The class was given $400 to shop for holiday gifts, but they decided to raise the ante. They started with doing chores to add to the pot.
"I was super excited for them when they started to think about, well maybe my dad will give me $2 if I empty the dishwasher, " school director Katy Boucher told WBZ.
But the jackpot for the kids came in something that happened right here at the school.
"What was really neat was when we had a giant pile of mulch delivered and our movement teacher happened to be out that day. So I said, 'Alright kids, I'm your sub let's go move the mulch,' and Gavin (Shields) said, 'Do you think that whoever moves the most buckets of mulch could have $5 towards their chores?," Boucher said.
"I wanted to do it because I thought it would be funner than it actually was and make money for the charity," Shields, a fifth grader, told WBZ.
All of a sudden, moving mulch became a fun chore.
"Like scooping the mulch and stuff and making it into something competitive," said eighth grader Lauren DeGraan.
"Really my main goal was to at least get it so it can be $20 both for me and my teammate. I think I moved like 43 that day," said eighth grader Giordano Socci.
The kids raised $1,383 and decided to give the money to the Rolling Wave Foundation in Scituate, a non-profit that will deliver Christmas gifts to needy families this year.
This project turned into a huge life lesson that these middle schoolers aced.
"Incredibly proud, they are amazing kids," Waltman told WBZ.
"I think that when you give kids that opportunity to do something good, they always exceed your expectations," Boucher said.
