Working with students hands-on is nothing new for counselor David Thorpe. What is new for him, and to the entire school, is Innovation Hour.
“Innovation Hour is a student-led time for students to get together in small groups,” Thorpe said. “It is a chance for them to develop and do something for their community.”
Thorpe is a teacher-leader for one of the groups working together to help in the community. His group, which is led by student-leader seniors Maggie McIntosh and Gunnar Blakeway-Walen, had problems in the beginning with space issues, but since then Thorpe’s group has been on the rise.
“Finding enough space for everybody to meet [was a problem],” Thorpe said. “I’m a teacher leader for a group and obviously they can’t meet in my office, that’s too small.”
The space issue was quickly resolved and the group had their first meeting in the wrestling room. Thorpe, who anticipated some bumps the first day, was impressed by his group and students’ willingness to all participate.
“The first day that we met, my approach as a leader was to just stay out of the way,” Thorpe said. “Let them stumble through what they need to. The students who were doing that initial team building activity, even the students who a little more on the shy side, were coming out of their comfort zones. I was really impressed.”
McIntosh, who helped to come up with the team’s idea, thinks that Innovation Hour is important because it helps people think a little less about themselves and help others for a change.
“Innovation hour helps us get to know others that maybe we haven’t thought about getting to know in the past,” McIntosh said. “I think it will also help unify the school a little more.”
The team plans to put up Christmas lights for the elderly and help shovel snow. The team does not believe that they will be affected by the rule changes to how groups can complete their community service. The new regulations are specific time periods that groups can work and keeps groups from raising or spending money.
“When you go into some of these housing developments where the elderly are living, they are just so happy to have people come out,” Thorpe said. “Men’s lifespans are less than women’s so there are a lot of elderly women out their living by themselves so that has to get pretty lonely unless they are still able to get out into the community.”
Senior Lexi Hofer, who is part of McIntosh’s group, thinks helping the elderly is a way to keep them in higher spirits and help make life a little easier.
“It’s a way for us to be able to make a difference in our community in a way we couldn’t before,” Hofer said. “I think helping the elderly is a great thing to do because some of them are alone and this way we can talk to them and keep them company.”
McIntosh said it is important to give back to the elderly and let them know how much they are appreciated.
“I was thinking about that service project we did when we all went out and helped in the community and we all contributed to the Christmas part of it because it’s always sad when old people are alone or can’t decorate,” McIntosh said. “I think that the elderly give the community some spirit. They are so cute and everyone loves them and helping them get up lights will brighten their day as well as get the rest of the community festive and celebrating.”
With the group getting ready to go out, Thorpe hopes that everyone remembers the reason the school is helping this program and that people remember what really matters in life.
“What I would hope for is that every student would somehow experience the feeling you get when you give something to other people,” Thorpe said. “It doesn’t matter what you are doing. I think that is the part about it that is cool. Sometimes we fixate on money a lot, and if you can do something like this and not fixate, that would be my hope for this project.”