Middle School Students Present Math Service-Learning Project to Peers
Middle school students gave a presentation to the student body at Chapel on Wednesday, May 31 regarding their recent service-learning project. This is the second year that students have participated in this project.
A canned food drive was turned into a series of math lessons on measurement, data gathering and sharing, as well as a study of statistics of poverty in the United States and the world. Students collected over 2,176 cans and boxes, 8,203 servings, and 23,207 ounces of food.
By discussing poverty and hunger, students brought deeper meaning to the can drive. As the cans accumulated, they used different types of mathematical measurements—frequency tables, bar graphs, circle graphs, probability, surface area, volume, and more—to show the significance of the drive.
Students deepened their discussion by relating poverty and hunger to every person in the room. Fifth grader Henry Allard said, “About 795 million people, or 1 in every 9 people in the world are hungry, homeless, or both. There are about 500 people in this room right now so let’s do the math. That means that fifty-six people in this room could potentially be hungry and/or homeless right at this very minute. Fifty-six of our friends, teachers, and staff. Fifty-six people just like you and me.”
The fifth grade students described their method for collecting food. With a goal of providing balanced meals, they used the food pyramid to guide their collection. They stated, “We counted 917 servings of protein, 3910 servings of fruits and vegetables, 2488 servings of pasta and grains and 1510 servings of desserts and baking.”
The sixth graders then discussed where their donations will go: 57% will go to ForKids, 24% will go to Saint Mary’s, 13% will go to the Catholic Worker, and 6% will go to UNICEF.
As a class, the seventh grade brainstormed and generated a list of the ways that donating food to the hungry impacts the giver and the receiver. The donation brightens the receiver’s day, satisfies the receiver’s hunger, helps him or her live longer, and inspires that person to give. The giver is also impacted because donating makes the giver feel happy and humbled.
The eighth grade class asked their peers, “Which Life of speaks to you the most in this project and why?” They compiled responses from each grade level and shared them with the student body. The students ended by thanking Father Jim for his service to Saint Patrick, “With gratitude for your service as our chaplain we are happy to report that, on behalf of the entire school, 544 of the cans and boxes are headed to the food pantry at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception.”
Through this project, middle school students inspired their fellow Wolfhounds to use their knowledge to improve their community. Thank you to math teachers Amber Seeley, Christopher Chagnon, and Mary McPhillips for guiding students in this meaningful service-learning project.
