Madison Students Create Scholarship to Assist Learning Disability Student

Originally written by Jack Kramer, Correspondent

MADISON, CT – Four Madison high school students who started a group project to raise scholarship money for someone with a diagnosed learning disability have exceeded their $1,000 goal only four days into fundraising.

The four students have a gofundme page.

The students are Lily Arida, Sophie Cohen, Elizabeth McCann, and Hannah Bridge.

This is what the four say about their project.

“For a group project we were supposed to look at the history of people with learning differences and how they have been discriminated against in the past. We decided to focus on how that has affected their education over the years.

“As a group we decided to take it a step further and start a go fund me page to raise money to start a scholarship for someone within our community to get a little extra help to go to college.

“This scholarship will be for a Daniel Hand senior graduating in 2017. In order to qualify for this scholarship the student must have a diagnosed learning disability. (Including, but certainly not limited to: ADHD, Bipolar, Anxiety, Panic Disorder, Autism, OCD, etc.) Any amount will help. Thank you!”

So far more than 45 people have donated a total of more than $1,350 – surpassing the original fundraising goal.

Their teacher, Ashley Joiner, has this to say about the students’ efforts.

“As of my writing this, the girls have raised $1,350 toward a scholarship for a deserving
“different learner” from Madison. Now they have to decide if they are splitting the scholarship to give to more than one deserving person.

“The students are so supportive of each other, too,” Joiner added. “The rest of the class cheers as we put the new total on the screen in the classroom. Everyone is so excited and can’t believe that this has been such a success.”

Joiner said: “My students now know that they can make a difference and have an impact on change and on peoples’ lives.”

Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice had this to say about the students’ effort.

“Lily Arida, Sophie Cohen, Elizabeth McCann, and Hannah Bridge are DHHS students who recently took Civics with DHHS Social Studies teacher, Ashley Joiner. As part of the Civics curriculum, students are asked to take up a cause and apply what they have learned to real world problems.

“Do not be mistaken, this type of student work does NOT take place in most districts and
our curriculum is one, among many, of the features that makes our district so special. Our collective courage in this era in public education to do the “right” work in our classrooms is truly remarkable. In the end, it all comes down to “what” we teach and “how” well we teach it.

“If you go to the link below you will see for yourself how consequential our work in the classroom can be. These four students, as part of the Civics curriculum, have taken on a cause. They have begun a scholarship program for those with learning challenges, for students with identified disabilities. What’s remarkable is that the course is over, but their commitment to this project continues.

By no means should anyone feel obligated to contribute to their cause. However, my intent is to share this link and ask everyone to read their statement, while considering how consequential our work in our classrooms can truly be when we focus on the “right” work with students, and teach it our very best,” Scarice
said.

Photo caption, from left: Elizabeth McCann, Hannah Bridge, Lily Arida, Sophie Cohen and teacher Ashley Joiner. (photo supplied by school)

(Editor's Note: This story first ran previously but here it is again in case you missed it.)