Two Grade 5 Talmud Torah students take on an inspiring project of giving

By Regan Lipes

(AJNews) – Nothing warms the heart more than seeing true altruism in action.  It is an uplifting reminder that people are capable of the pure kindness, generosity and benevolence that the Torah encourages. The winter season is typically when North Americans amp up their good cheer and spirit of giving, and this fills even the most cynical of onlookers with hope. When young people take the initiative to do a mitzvah, the community can be most proud, and confident in knowing that the future of Tikkum Olam rests in good hands.

Two grade five Talmud Torah School students recently took on a project of giving that proved to be nothing short of astounding.  “I do these ‘Passion Projects’ with the class,” explained their teacher Jennifer Kovacs in an interview with Alberta Jewish News.  “I want them to be imaginative and take their existing interests to new levels.”  The learning outcomes that Kovacs targets with this assignment are key life skills that students may not fully appreciate in the moment but will benefit from in the future. “They need to find resources from different sources, one being books from the library, which gets them used to doing research. Knowing how to find information in different ways is an important life skill.”

Kovacs’ students also need to work on time-management and independent accountability to help their work progress and since they select their own direction for their ‘Passion Projects’ she has found that their engagement is impressive. “As they are researching they need to indicate their sources and find a way to present their information in some form. It can be a poster, a slideshow, a song.  It’s intentionally open to allow students to show their learning in different ways.”

This year, two of her students wanted to use their project to give back to the community.

“I had students years ago who chose to do a juice-box and cereal drive. That example, along with the cold weather approaching, may have planted the idea for these two students to do a sock and shoe donation drive. The class is also doing a read aloud  right now which is a story about a young girl and her mom who are struggling to get by. It’s from the point of view of the little girl, who shares that she does not have shoes that fit her. This topic has come up multiple times in the book, and we have had class discussions about it; not everyone can afford shoes.” The book Awake and Dreaming by Kit Pearson moved the two ten-year-olds to act and take their ‘Passion Project’ to a new, and unprecedented level.

Ella Paull and Maya Parker have been best friends since grade one so when their teacher gave them the option of working together, the girls jumped at the opportunity.  “We got the idea from the book we are reading, because the main character has shoes that are ruined,” explained Ella. “So, we thought it would be something good we could do to give warm socks and shoes to people who don’t have them,” added Maya.  After running their idea by their teacher, and Principal Darin Johnson, the motivated young ladies set to work. “They needed to work on writing professional emails, and how to present this information to different audiences, which are skills they will use many times throughout their lives,” Kovacs offered thoughtfully. “They had to think about the language they used, who they were targeting the information to, and revise their writing.” The career teacher was pleased with the multidimensional educational targets that were covered unexpectedly because of the intensity of the project.

“We had to figure out where the donations would go once we collected everything,” explained Maya. “We put together a slide show, mostly for Ms. Kovacs, with details about what we planned and the ways we were going to share our information to people.” Ella continued: “We had to do research to figure out where the donations would go, and we decided on the Bissell Centre. But this was also kind of confusing because they have two parts: a part where they give the donated things to people for free, and a thrift store.”  Navigating the ins and outs of a big undertaking can be intimidating for adults, so the ingenuity and problem-solving skill showcased by the girls truly distinguished them as young leaders.  “We knew we wanted people to get the shoes and socks for free,” elaborated Maya, “Because we wanted the people who need these things most to be the ones who get them, and it was important to us that they wouldn’t pay anything. They may not have money, like the character, Theo, in our book.”

With the support of their teacher and principal, the Bissell Centre was contacted, and the girls were even invited to take a tour of their facility.  Moved by the altruism of their classmates, several other students started lending Maya and Ella a hand during their free time, making posters and handing them around the school. “The hardest part was going to the older classrooms to make announcements about it,” confided Ella. “We don’t know them as well and they’re older, so it was a little scary at first.”  For several weeks they collected donations dropped in a big cardboard box by the front door, right next to the Ten Commandments engraved on the foyer floor.  “We would empty it out regularly. We kept everything in Ms. Kovacs’ room,” Maya explained. “Yes, but they organized things very nicely,” Kovacs added proudly.

Shortly after school wrapped up for the winter break, they, driven by their parents, delivered their loads of donation to the Bissell Centre, and were greeted with gratitude and awe. “I think it’s so important for them to see the impact of what they’ve accomplished,” Kovacs explained. “I’m so proud of them!”

Maya and Ella, the two best friends from Jennifer Kovacs’ grade five class agree that this was a tremendous experience, and one they would love to repeat.  When asked what they would each like to be when they grow up, both girls expressed a desire to become teachers or possibly go into the performing arts. “If I become a teacher, I’d want to be an elementary teacher. I would probably want to do this kind of project with students,” Maya added.

The spirit of Tikkun Olam is strong at Talmud Torah, demonstrated not just by the astounding chesed endeavour undertaken by two impressive ten-year-olds with exceptional leadership skills, but also by the outpouring of donations from the community.  We applaud the work of Maya and Ella, two girls with big Jewish hearts!

Regan Lipes is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter