DFC teams named U.S. finalists, semi-finalists

SANDPOINT — The results are in and Washington Elementary's two Design for Change teams were named finalists and semi-finalists in the national competition.

DFC USA received about 200 projects of change from across the country, addressing issues ranging from bullying, poverty, protecting the environment and gender equality. Washington's sixth-grade team, who took on the issue of teen suicide with their #YouMatter movement, were named finalists as they placed in the top four teams in the nation. This was the first year Washington's second-graders participated in the program, and they were recognized as one of nine semi-finalists, putting them in the top 12 in the nation.

"I was privileged to work with both the sixth-grade and second-grade Design for Change classes at Washington Elementary," said Washington Elementary sixth-grade teacher and DFC advisor Ann Dickinson in an email to the Daily Bee. 

"I was awed by the passion with which both classes approached and solved their problems. Students used creative thinking, empathy, and perseverance to implement ideas and solve issues around suicide and mental illness as well as intersection safety. Design for Change gives kids a voice and empowers them to work through problems in their community."

The sixth-graders embarked on several tasks throughout the years, including holding candy cane kindness challenge just before winter break, making a kindness chain to go around the school, and flying down to Boise to meet with legislators.

They also designed a #YouMatter clothing line, which is available to the public for purchase at team44apparel.com. Sixth-grader Jett Longanecker designed the logo for clothing, which he said was a combination of some of the initial designs the group had come up with. The logo included the words #YouMatter, with the M resembling a the image of a heartbeat on a heart rate monitor.

"It has been amazing to witness the growth and passion of the sixth-grade #YouMatter group as they worked through the design thinking process while taking on the complex issues of suicide prevention and mental illness," Dickinson said. "Being nationally recognized by Design For Change USA as one of the top four projects in the nation is an exceptional honor, and I believe highlights the dedication and perseverance of the kids as well as how truly amazing the #youmatter project is."

In the email to the Daily Bee, Washington sixth-grader Will Clark said he is glad they did the project and being one of the top four teams nationally is an honor.

"This project made me aware of how big a problem suicide is and that children can make a difference in society," Will said.

Sixth-grader Via Vachon said the project an "awesome" thing for kids their age to do, and it "really" made an impact on the community.

"Because we are nationally recognized, it's bringing suicide awareness nationwide," Via said. "Design for Change made me aware that our society is not perfect, but if we work together we can fix it."

Sixth-grader Livia Owens added, "I learned a lot about empathy and gained empathy for other people. If other kids want to do Design for Change they should know it is a really cool experience where you learn a process to solve big problems."

According to DFC USA Director Sanjli Gidwaney, the Washington second-graders were the youngest in the country to ever submit a project. Dickinson coordinated with second-grade teacher Charlene Hitchcock this year to get the younger students involved in the program.

"This is a program that allows kids to decide on a problem in their area that they would like to fix," Hitchcock said in the email. "They go through several steps that the organization has set up in order to carefully research and tackle an issue."

The students first entered the "feel" stage of the DFC process, where they thought about all of the things they didn’t’ like about the school or Sandpoint. The crosswalk and pick up zone at the school is dangerous and several parents don’t follow the rules, Hitchcock said, so they decided to tackle the problem. They brainstormed ideas and solutions in the "imagine" stage, interviewing several community members to get advice on how to proceed with their ideas.

As part of the "do" stage, the second-graders wrote a giant letter to City Council asking for help, and then were invited to present their ideas at a meeting. The students also saw some of their hard work come to fruition, Hitchcock said, when the Sandpoint Police Department put up a speed monitor device in front of the school. City Council is discussing how to paint rainbow crosswalks, she said, and the transportation department is changing the curb signs.

The final stage is "share." Some of the students spoke on Steve Youngdahl's radio show, some visited with a Kiwanis club, and both DFC groups hosted a Community Night at the school to tell all about the process and success stories. The culmination project was a video the second-graders created for the school website to teach parents how to safely and correctly drop off and pick up their children from school, Hitchcock said.

"The most amazing part of the whole project was that the students learned to believe in themselves and were able to see that kids, at only 7-years-old, can make a change in their community," Hitchcock said.

Gidwaney said DFC was "proud" to announce the Washington Elementary teams as finalist and semi-finalist for the DFC USA 2018 challenge.

"Their focus on mental health and crosswalk safety resonated highly with our jury panel this year, setting a strong example of student-driven social change across the country, and the world," Gidwaney said in an email. "We look forward to continuing our partnership with Washington Elementary School, in hopes of spreading the Design for Change movement through the district, inspiring many more children to say, 'I can.'"

The overall DFC USA winner for their project on healthy hygiene, the Bellaire school from Queens, N.Y., will represent the United States at the international conference later this year in Taiwan. Washington sixth-graders were last year's ambassadors for the national conference in Spain as they preceded this year's team on tackling teen suicide.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.