By Tom Ganser
Correspondent
On Apr. 28, Whitewater Middle School students celebrated a variety of projects and activities they had participated in throughout the school year to make a positive difference at their school, in the Whitewater community and in the world.
“Make a Difference Day was started in 1990 as a national day devoted to helping others by doing volunteer work in the community. Make a Difference Day is the largest national day of community service, with millions of Americans participating in diverse events and community improvement projects with the
mission of improving the lives of others,” principal Tanya Wojciechowicz said at the beginning of the assembly.
The 18 WMS projects showcased involved individuals and groups of students in school clubs organizations, and by grade level. For example, the Junior Optimist Club assisted in the annual Grandma Laurine Blood Drive, and Abby Gnatzig and Jaime Milian created and implemented a Cancer Awareness project.
As another example, Jamie Weigel’s 8th grade advisory group planned and carried out a “Support Our Troops” week, including a fundraiser during lunch to collect donations for Our Military Kinds, a nonprofit organization created to provide support and recognition to military children. Weigel’s advisory group also brought members of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater ROTC Warhawk Battalion and the National Guard to school to meet students and sponsor a “Camouflage Spirit Day.”
In WMS’s modification of the duration but not the spirit of Make a Difference Day, Wojciechowicz said, “Making a difference should not be reserved for one day. All acts of kindness, compassion, and servitude, no matter how grand or how small are significant, as they provide hope, lifting the human spirit, maintain others’ dignity, and support each other in times of need or triumph. Too often, we think that making a difference takes some grandiose gesture or a multitude of people, but that is not the case.
“No act of compassion and servitude, no matter how large or small, is ever wasteful. And it is with that mindset that we celebrate here today, rejoicing with each other and thanking those who have supported us along the way- both through acts that are recognized and those things that may have gone un-noticed,” Wojciechowicz added.
