At Smith Elementary School we believe in empowering our students to make changes - both big and small - in their world, their communities, their school, and most importantly, in themselves. That is why our school has adopted the book Change Sings: a Children's Anthem (written by Amanda Gorman and illustrated by Loren Long) as our "One Book, One School" reading and community service program for the spring of 2023 with the school kick-off date of March 20th.
Changes Sings takes us on a musical journey as a young girl leads her friends on acts of kindness in their community. They learn that they have the power to make change in the world. "Change Sings is a triumphant call to action for everyone to use their abilities to make a difference" (Random House Publishing, 2021).
Not only will every student and teacher have the opportunity to read Change Sings (every classroom teacher will receive a copy of the book for his/her classroom), but classes will also incorporate the lessons learned into their daily discussions and classwork. Each class also will decide on an act of service that they can work on together throughout the spring to make the world a better place. Some examples of these classroom projects are cleaning up trash around the school, planting flowers in front of the school, making cards for military serving overseas, etc. Specials classes are working on ways to incorporate the artwork, musical approach, and the book's message into their curriculum as well.