For the Common Good

            We’ve all heard it before.  People say that they did something for the common good.   But what does that really mean?  Through a class, aptly named, “Common Good,” students at Northbrook Junior High have an opportunity to learn its true meaning.

            In the class, the students are challenged to participate in a community service project of their choice and to come together as a class to choose a project to work on as a group. 

            As the students go through the process of deciding what to accomplish in the class, they quickly realize that there are people just like them out in the world struggling.  Some answer the call by collecting items for the food pantry and homeless shelters.  Others collect used sporting goods to donate to schools that have none.         

            Another realization that hits the students in this class is the reality of Juvenile diabetes.  Most of them know at least one person who has it.  This inspires them to work hard to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). 

            Other students look beyond our borders and become very aware of how lucky they are to be born in the United States.  This understanding motivates them to work on projects such as collecting money to help build wells in Africa. 

            The possibilities are endless and the students find that their passion to help others can bring about great things.  Regardless of the project chosen, the students grow by going beyond their comfort zone for the “common good.”  In the posts that will follow, I will tell more stories of how the students of this class realized that they are somebody and they can make a difference.