Eugene Field Elementary School third grade students made and sold popcorn to raise money for the Maryville Ministry Center, ultimately collecting over $300.
Students had the opportunity to take on various roles: popping the popcorn, writing thank-you notes and creating flyers. Megan McQuinn, a third grade teacher at Eugene Field Elementary School, said students were able to learn skills they will use later in life.
“They're (the third grade students) dealing with first graders all the way through fourth graders, and some people they look up to, and some kids they maybe don't get to see every day,” McQuinn said. “It gives them the people skills and the communication skills, but also it kind of gives them ownership of their own learning, which I think is a great skill to have.”
McQuinn said the fundraiser began as a way to teach students about the economic skills and standards that come with raising money. During this lesson, the school brought in Maryville Ministry Center Food Pantry Coordinator Tim Dean. This is when the students decided the Ministry Center was the best place to donate to.
Participating students went each day of the week to the other grade levels to sell bags of popcorn for 50 cents. The third graders also made flyers and posters to spread awareness for the fundraiser. Eugene Field Elementary School third grader Nolan Tritten said the fundraiser was fun to work at.
“It felt very nice (and) kind for the other grades,” Tritten said. “It felt better just helping other students get (a) snack if they don’t have one.”
Students would go from classroom to classroom selling bags of popcorn to their fellow students and even former teachers. McQuinn said each day of the week, while students were out selling popcorn, around eight to 10 of them would be popping popcorn. She said the students enjoyed speaking with past teachers they have had.
There are no future plans for other fundraisers this year for the third graders, but McQuinn said the students have worked previously with other organizations such as the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Nodaway County, and the New Nodaway Humane Society. McQuinn said students took great pride in helping others.
“They had a lot of ownership of it, actually,” McQuinn said. “I think they really took pride in knowing that this money was going to their community to help students they really know.”
Students gathered in the cafeteria to show the representatives from the Maryville Ministry Center a presentation check that showcased the money raised from the fundraiser Jan. 27.
“I think sometimes the kids need to know what community outreach there is in our community,” McQuinn said. “If you’re an adult, you know all that information, but as a kid, you need to know that there’s helpers in our community as well.”
This story is brought to KXCV-KRNW by The Northwest Missourian, the campus newspaper of Northwest Missouri State University.
