Ten Heights Career Tech Teacher Academy members at Maple Heights High School won a $500 prize for their school by competing and placing in a nationwide competition last May. The effort was led by Cheyenne Mickler and Brandi’Anna Freeman (Class of 2024) and Maliyah Anderson and Ja’Nya Butler (Class of 2023). Other members of the Class of 2024 who participated in the project were Haylee Lappert, Myonna Morton, Johnnae Muhammad, Danielle Sarwee, Madison Vincent, and Shyla Williams.
Under the guidance of their Teacher Leader, Richard Wakefield, the students worked together to submit their project in the Lead4Change challenge. The Lead4Change challenge is part of the Lead4Change program, a nationwide student leadership program free for teachers and students in grades 6-12.
The year-long project was part of their Teacher Academy curriculum. All Career Technical Education (CTE) students can earn 12 or more industry credentials, and completing this project earned each of them three credentials. “This project is designed to teach the students that even at a young age, they can do something meaningful,” said Wakefield.
The students were charged with choosing a project that addressed a community need and needed to work together to develop a creative solution for that need. The Maple Heights team worked on “Bracelets for a Cause” and focused on boosting mental health. In addition to working on this project in class throughout the 2022-2023 school year, the students spent many hours before and after school creating over 1,000 bracelets and cards with notes on them.
They created five different bracelet options that had supportive/motivational messages:
I’ll be your rock! - as a show of support to someone struggling
You’re my rock! - as a thank you message to those who have supported you
You can do it! - as a motivational message to someone in need of encouragement
Great job! - as a recognition of someone doing something special
Gratitude - as a way to show gratitude to others
The goal was for their peers to purchase the bracelets to show kindness and support for each other. They sold the bracelets in the school bookstore for only $1 each to make them accessible to everyone. “The act of purchasing something nice for someone else is powerful,” said Wakefield. “We wanted to make it easy for students to experience how wonderful it feels to give.”
In addition to these bracelets, they made 500 kindness bracelets for elementary students in the district.
Cheyenne Mickler and Brandi’Anna Freeman also entered their project in the Educators Rising Ohio State Conference in the spring and qualified for nationals by earning a score of 98.5/100.
Congratulations to these students on making a difference and being recognized nationally!