TEACHER STORY

How Scholastic News Inspired Students to Support Ukrainian Refugees

Northfield, Minnesota
_{July 2023}

For fifth-grade teacher Michelle Sickler and her students at Greenvale Park Elementary School in Northfield, Minnesota, it started with an article and video from Scholastic News®. Titled “We Stand with Ukraine,” the lesson presented an age-appropriate report about Russia’s invasion of and war with the Eastern European nation.

The story introduced readers to a group of Pennsylvania middle schoolers who had family living in Ukraine. One, Alisa Yeremenko, talked about the plight of her grandparents in the city of Mariupol. Like many areas of Ukraine, it had seen widespread destruction and hardship.

Alisa and her classmates wanted to help. So they organized a fundraiser to benefit UNICEF, which is sending food, medicine, and other supplies to kids in Ukraine. They sold bracelets in Ukraine’s national colors of yellow and blue, sunflower pins because that’s Ukraine’s national flower, and Ukrainian flag magnets. They raised more than $5,000.

To help its readers understand complex topics like this, Scholastic News provides important background information with stories. In “We Stand with Ukraine,” kids learned that nation and Russia had both been part of the Soviet Union until the superpower collapsed in 1991. Then, in 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. and its allies responded with financial support for Ukraine and economic sanctions against Russia.

SCHOLASTIC NEWS INSPIRATION

When the Greenvale Park students first encountered this story in Scholastic News, they thought it was about historic events. Their teacher helped them understand that the war was ongoing and affecting children just like them. The fifth graders took an interest in the story and wanted to support Ukrainian refugees like Alisa and her classmates did. So they decided to hold their own fundraiser by creating and selling handmade items—buttons, earrings, bracelets, and keychains. They spent time after school planning and preparing to sell these items at a local fair. There, a dozen students worked in shifts at a booth where shoppers bought their merchandise. The Greenvale Park middle schoolers even got local gift shop owners to sell their items as an additional source of fundraising.

SCHOLASTIC NEWS RESULTS

By July 2023, Michelle Sickler’s students were able to donate $2,650 to the Ukraine Response Fund organized by Alight, a nonprofit organization that provides services and programs for displaced people. Knowing they could make a difference gave these fifth graders a sense of purpose and empowerment. The project even helped them develop entrepreneurial skills. Their principal, Sam Richardson, was proud of how they demonstrated empathy and commitment. He was even confident their experience showed they would become community leaders in the future.

All of this was sparked by a Scholastic News article and video! Student engagement. Knowledge building. Life skills lessons. Social development. Throughout the year, Scholastic News helps educators advance all these school goals and more.