GOODY FOR THEM: Fourth-graders teach life lessons at school

WASILLA — Knik Elementary principal Traci Pedersen knows there’s more to be learned than what’s found in textbooks, and as four of her students reminded her recently, sometimes it’s the students who teach the lessons.

Last month a group of fourth-graders — Mariah Hillukka, Kennedie Goulding, Madison Ressler and Mackenzie Cizek — came together to create their own fund-raiser. On their own, the students created the concept, building holiday goodie bags to sell for $1, and chose a charity, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

“I’m so proud of them,” Pedersen said. “We spend so much time in our school focusing on academics, but school is so much bigger than academics. It’s about being a good citizen in the world.”

The students’ actions alone were enough to give the principal a sense of pride. But Pedersen admitted the results left her a bit surprised. In just a few days, the four girls raised $575, all of which was donated to St. Jude’s.

“The generosity of people blows me away sometimes,” Pedersen said. “One of those great reminders, people are good.”

Even the students were stunned by their success.

“I’m really surprised. I didn’t think we’d raise $500 at all,” Ressler said. “I didn’t think we’d raise $200.”

Two hundred dollars was the initial goal, Ressler said.

Pedersen said it’s not unusual for her to see her students put together these types of fund-raisers.

“We have kids who want to do something like this a few times a year,” Pederson said. “It comes from them.”

This group, however, did all of the work — from creating the idea to selling the product. Pedersen said the students found a Knik teacher to sponsor them.

They made signs and wrote an announcement to be read for the school. The girls tracked down the goodies and packed the bags themselves.

“I was very impressed,” Pedersen said. “These girls were organized.”

Ressler said it’s simply something she and her friends wanted to do.

“We wanted to do a fund-raiser,” Ressler said. “We were trying to think of a worthy cause.”

Each student has loved ones affected by cancer, and the girls liked the idea of donating to St. Jude’s, Ressler said. She said they chose goodie bags to sell, because it was something different.

The girls loaded the bags with peppermint candies, a candy cane, cookies and a thank-you note and sold them during lunch and recess over two days, and during the school’s third-grade concert in December.

“I’m really happy we raised that much money,” Ressler said. “All of us are really happy, I think.”

Ressler and her friends wrote a letter to St. Jude’s explaining their donation. And last Friday the students were recognized at the school’s quarterly awards ceremony. The four were photographed with a giant paper check with the donation amount.

“Sometimes you don’t know whose inspiring who,” Pedersen said. “Hopefully we’re inspiring the kids. The kids are inspiring me.”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.