Key School 3rd Grade Spearheads Fundraising Project

On Monday, February 13, third grade students will travel to the Wellness House of Annapolis to learn more about the recipient of a meaningful school-wide fundraising effort they have initiated at The Key School.

This winter, students at Key have been collecting pop tops that they can exchange for money to benefit a number of charities, one of which is the Wellness House. Wellness House of Annapolis, an affiliate of Anne Arundel Medical Center, provides free support services and programs to families affected by cancer – including the family of a third grade student at Key School.

The effort to raise money for Wellness House grew out of a unit of study tackled each year by Key School’s third grade. Each year, Key’s third grade devises its own innovative environmental initiative as part of an “immersion week” focused on conservation. Past efforts have included building a composting system, as well as assessing efforts made by the student body at Key School to recycle 50 percent of all waste on campus. After visiting the recycling center earlier this year as part of the environmental science curriculum, this year’s third grade learned they could recycle pop tops for money. Once they learned more about the possible recipients of the money, third grade students made an important connection: They learned that the recipient of their fundraising efforts could be the Wellness House – a center where one of their classmates has been receiving support as his father battles cancer.

“They made a personal connection,” said third grade teacher Nancy Conroy. “It was an opportunity for authentic learning and it was meaningful to them.”

A pop top receptacle is placed in the center of Key’s Lower School. To spread word about their effort, the third graders have made presentations to fellow students in Pre-School, Lower School and Upper School. The Wellness House hopes other schools will likewise get involved in the program.