The grades 7 and 8 class at Craik School is trying to make a small change in the world.

The students have reformed the Upstanding and Outstanding (U and O) group at the school into a complex enterprise devoted to improving their lives and the lives of everyone they meet. By separating the organization into three divisions, namely a clothing, media and fund-raising group, the students have worked throughout the school year to engage the elementary students at Craik School as well as members of their community into becoming better people through applying eight simple concepts during their day-to-day lives.

“The characteristics are integrity, diligence, citizenship, respect, honesty, fairness, trustworthiness and responsibility,” said Kalib Vibert, a Grade 7 student who works with the clothing division. “You have to be all those to be an upstanding and outstanding person.”

Explaining that integrity means doing what is right even in tough situations, diligence is setting and reaching your goals, citizenship involves working for the common good, respect means treating others as you want to be treated, honesty is telling the truth, fairness concerns playing by the rules, trustworthiness is keeping your promises and responsibility means doing what needs to be done, the group has been implementing these concepts through their work this year on Free The Children initiatives.

Started by a then 12-year-old Canadian named Craig Kielburger in 1995 in an effort to fight child labour, Free The Children has grown into an international charity and educational partner with more than 1.7 million youth involved in education and development programs in 45 countries. The main goal of Free The Children is to create a world where young people are free to achieve their fullest potential as agents of change.

“We got involved with Free The Children so that people could have a sustainable source of clean drinking water,” said Grade 8 student Sky Ann Stinson, who is part of the media division. “We’ve raised $1,264 so far and now we’re thinking of sponsoring a village.”

Grade 8 student Chase Bakken, clothing division, said they haven’t decided which village to sponsor through the Free The Children Adopt a Village program, but have narrowed it down to a list of eight countries where help is needed.

To raise funds for the Adopt a Village initiative, the clothing division has designed an Upstanding and Outstanding logo that they will emblazon onto hoodies and ball caps they are making, which they will then sell to the student population at the school. They are also selling buttons to the community until Feb. 14.

“They’re called Love Is buttons and it’ll be sort of like a Valentine’s Day card,” said Haley Spencer, a Grade 8 student and fund-raising division member. “There are six different buttons and you can buy them and send them like a Valentine’s Day card.”

The media division is promoting these fund-raising efforts through their blog, facebook page and twitter account they developed this year.

To read more please see the January 21 print edition of The Davidson Leader.