Hopefully by the time a student reaches eighth grade they should know the importance of making contributions to their community. Each community has its own characteristics that help it stand apart from others. Sometimes this is the people who live there, or activities that the community may offer. Since everything can be improved, it is important to notice and reflect upon the state of one’s own community. It is the duty of the members that live there to take steps that they believe can be beneficial to improve their communities.
To begin to make a difference, each year the eighth grade of Pelham Middle school, students break off into groups and decide upon a topic that they believe can benefit their community. This is important because it teaches the students life skills and habits that they should learn to regularly participate in, in order to benefit themselves and the well being of their community. The community project is a way to practice these skills, and begin to make a difference involving a problem that they believe they can solve. It teaches students to think for themselves, and make decisions regarding others around them. The eighth graders who participate in this go through a positive change, and are given more freedom to express themselves, and help others to be able to do the same.