Genius Hour - Week 6 (Mod 7)

It's Showtime

Over the past few weeks, I spent time researching and spreading awareness for the fight against hunger across Cook County. Although my “final product” will not technically happen until December 7, I still feel a sense of accomplishment through this Genius Hour Project. (I rallied a group of friends to join me in volunteering at the Greater Chicago Food Depository on this date.)

Aside from the volunteer event in December, another product that came out of this Genius Hour was the opportunity to share information with my students at the junior high I teach at. It worked out that throughout the month of October and November, we had a school-wide initiative to educate our students on being charitable, and we focused on collecting donated items for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, as well as items for our own food pantry within our school.

Our school hosted Hoops for Hope, an event that took place on Nov. 14 where our students, staff, and their families participated in a series of basketball games and all the money raised that evening went towards the Greater Chicago Food Depository. While I helped work the event, I was able to have conversations with my students and their families about the cause and about the hunger problem in Cook County. They were not only shocked to know how many of our district’s students are food insecure, but also to learn that it is a significant problem across the entire county. These conversations then allowed me to let families know about our school’s food pantry and how to get connected should they ever need it as a resource.

Finally, about a week after the Hoops for Hope event, a smaller group of choir students (different from Club Unify) participated in a service opportunity in which they helped organize and stock our food pantry. I’ve included a photo of our food pantry below. This Genius Project couldn’t have happened at a better time. It allowed me to invest time and energy into something I am truly passionate about, AND share my findings and passion with the students and staff at my school.