By Kara Hallam
BubbleLife Intern
Coppell High School’s Advanced Placement English III juniors are getting involved with charities not only for a grade, but because of their passion for great causes as well.
The AP English III department at CHS asked students “what is your heartbreak”. This question lead students into a months long project and motivated them to give back to society.
“We do this project because I think it is important for kids even in school to do something important,” AP English III teacher Tracy Henson said.
Students began brainstorming ideas in a simple Twitter chat. After choosing a category of “heartbreak” like world hunger, poverty or abuse, students had to research a non-profit organization that was related to their cause. The next step was to create a presentation on the organization and then form groups united for one cause.
The project’s official objective is to make a difference in the community whether local or wide scale.
In past years this project, called the Humanitarian Aid project has produced local 5ks, clothing and food drives, donations and even a commercial for different charities. This year’s groups of students are eager to meet the expectations set by past groups.
Groups span from just two to four people to twenty students. One of the smaller groups with juniors Shruthika Pochampally, Hena Pyon and Lauren LaChapelle hope to make a for children in Africa.
Working with Family Legacy, the group hopes to host a clothing drive to give it to children in Africa.
“Lauren's private lesson teacher had a direct connection with the cause so the clothes we get will go directly to the children,” Pochampally said.
Connections are a valuable key to making progress in the Humanitarian Aid project. However, it is not the only reason the group chose to do it.
“I really wanted to do something that would help kids. I mean these children in Africa need help. It just really bothers me that they are so helpless and not as much is being done as there needs to be done,” Pochampally said.
A larger group of 17 used their connections too to help the hungry. Junior Sarah Zeh came up with the idea to make a humanitarian aid project for Hope for the Hungry. This organization helps feed people in Africa and sends volunteers over to directly work with them through troubled times. Zeh has connections with the head of the organization facilitating sponsored events.
Because the group is so large, they are planning a 5k to take place at the end of April in Coppell. However, the group is not the only local 5k, two other groups are planning them as well.
Coppell citizens should be on the look out for these upcoming sponsored charities as students try to make a change in the world.