A cow is just the thing for a family in need in a developing country, so that’s what Clarkston Junior High students bought.
‘They are really proud of themselves and they should be,? said Claudia Keglovitz, teacher. ‘They did a ton of work.?
Keglovitz’s second trimester design class decided they were going to raise money for Heifer International. They designed a T-shirt, blue with white lettering, ‘Go Cow,? and a drawing of a cow on the back.
They sold 110 shirts throughout the school, raising more than $700 ? enough for a $500 cow and another animal.
‘We are thinking about buying a llama, a sheep or a few goats to give to another family,? said Keglovitz.
Farm animals are purchased and given to families to use for milk, cheese, eggs, wool and honey.
‘The focus is not on meat,? said Keglovitz. ‘The cow will produce milk for the family as well as the community.?
Haley Worsley said the class had a lot of support from the school because animals are not harmed or killed.
‘A lot of people bought the shirt because we weren’t going to do anything harmful to the animals,? she said. ‘It is a really awesome cause. They provide food, nourishment and a living. It gives them a whole new look on life and something to build on instead of just going to a soup kitchen.?
The class had $250 from a grant to use on the project.
‘It is basically a start up for community service that gives back to either local community or another community,? said Keglovitz.
Keglovitz applied for the grant earlier in the school year through the Academic Service Learning program.
The class had to decide what they wanted to do and sell with starting cost being $250 from the grant.
‘They came up with T-shirts,? said Keglovitz. ‘They figured out how to sell the T-shirts. The whole marketing plan was designed by the students based on the Academic Service Learning model.?
The students divided into groups and designed shirts voting for the top two – a blue T-shirt and green and black shirt. They decided on blue and used Worsley’s cow illustration from the other design.
‘They went like hot cakes because they were so cute,? said Keglovitz.
She also noticed a few students, not normally engaged in school, took iniative selling to visitors in the school while putting up posters.
Heifer International’s mission is to provide livestock, training and related services to small-scale farmers and communities in 128 countries worldwide.
The Academic Service Learning program provides e well-rounded development of Clarkston students.
She also pointed out the students pay it forward. When the cow produces a calf, the calf is given to another community or family to continue the process.