Junior high students find a lot of ways to keep themselves busy
after school, whether it is sports, drama, or hanging out at home.
A handful of students at Rancho San Justo Middle School, however,
have devoted their free time to higher pursuits, choosing instead
to help the neediest in the community.
Hollister – Junior high students find a lot of ways to keep themselves busy after school, whether it is sports, drama, or hanging out at home. A handful of students at Rancho San Justo Middle School, however, have devoted their free time to higher pursuits, choosing instead to help the neediest in the community.
“I just come here to help other people and make sure the club stays running,” said sixth-grader Leila Sadeghian. “And that’s naturally fun to me.”
In its second year at Rancho, the Human Rights Club is the brainchild of history teacher Jeff Holland, who wanted to give students a practical opportunity to apply classroom lessons learned in social studies classes to real-world situations.
“We put a big emphasis on human rights here at Rancho, we do a lot of work with the Holocaust and issues like that,” he said. “It’s important for kids to actually ‘do’ human rights, not just sit in a classroom and hear about it.”
The club, the only one of its kind in the community, is one part history lesson, two parts community service. Yesterday the students donated piles of clothing collected from fellow students, teachers and neighbors over the course of about two months to the local homeless coalition. Clothes were sorted into bags and boxes reading “Men,” “Women” and “Stuff” for shoes, socks and the like. The student clothing drive was so successful, in fact, that even though volunteers from the homeless coalition brought in two cars to carry the items away, several bags could not fit and will be retrieved another day.
“This is wonderful for the kids, because it takes their thoughts away from themselves and what they want, and on to others and what they need,” said homeless coalition volunteer Mary Zanger. “Our culture seems to be all about consuming, and when a teacher steps in and directs students to what’s positive in life, it’s a great thing.”
Earlier in the year students ran a “Coins for Katrina” drive that raised $1,500 in relief funds for hurricane victims. They did it simply by asking students and teachers to donate whatever pocket change they have onhand.
“I guess we all spend a couple hours on our projects a week, besides the hour we spend meeting as a club,” said eighth grader Ali Bootwala. “It’s helping people. You shouldn’t need a reason to help people.”
Currently the Human Rights Club’s big focus is raising money to help the family of Gabriel Fisch, a 14-month old baby diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that forms in the nerve tissue. Doctors found one tumor in Gabriel’s adrenal gland, three against his spinal cord and three in his head, none of which are operable.
To help with the cost of chemotherapy, the students are once again collecting money from Rancho students and staff, and are also going out into the community for donations, placing collection jars at local coffee shops and other establishments.
“Doing this is really important to me,” said the club’s President, Jay Church. “When I looked in the dictionary there was no definition for ‘human rights,’ so I made one up for our club: We think it’s the rights you have as a living person, not being controlled or forced to do anything, whether it’s from a bully or someone else.”
The students believe that the two biggest human rights issues in Hollister are racism and bullying.
Rancho’s emphasis on social justice and human rights has not gone unnoticed. Last year the school received the “Golden Bell” award from the California Schools Boards Association.
For those looking to donate to the homeless coalition, volunteers are looking for non-perishable, non-canned foods such as juice boxes, instant oatmeal or snack pouches, as well as paper plates, paper towels, aluminum foil, etc.
To donate either to the homeless coalition or the Gabriel Fisch fund through the Human Rights Club, call Holland at 636-4450.
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
