One morning, after seeing his mom with a plastic bread clip, 5th grader Jay K. began to hatch an idea for a creative art project that could raise awareness for an important cause. The beginnings of Project Bread were formed! Jay recruited classmates William D. and Lucas C., and together they collected bags of bread clips from around their neighborhoods, secured paint for the pieces and reclaimed wood for the frame (“We wanted the materials to be recyclable!”), and made a plan to create an original piece of art to raise awareness and funds in support of Ukraine. In the words of Jay, “We kept thinking about it, and our idea grew and grew. Finally we decided on a giant flag of Ukraine with a heart outline. We started a raffle on eBay and all the money will go to a charity that [fellow fifth grade classmate] Sasha [S.]’s family helped us find. We wanted to involve Sasha because her family is Ukrainian, and their family helped us identify the best foundation to donate to.”
With all their materials gathered, they spent a weekend putting together the project, including hand-painting each individual clip, and they dedicated “Four hours to making it… well, really three hours because we played dodgeball while it dried in the middle!” When asked how this project connects to what they have learned at CAIS and which CAIS Core Values have been on display throughout, the students shared, “Currently we’re learning how to stand up for what we believe in and how to say what we think is right… We demonstrated perseverance, because we had to make lots of adjustments and changes, courage, because we didn’t know if this was going to work or sell, and also kindness.” Finally, when asked what ideas they have for ways other CAIS community members can live out our mission to “contribute to a better world,” Lucas shared, “You just need to stand up for what is right. You can speak, make music, make art, or do lots of other things to show what you believe in.” Way to go, fifth grade activists! Thank you for inspiring us with your big hearts and compassion!