Huddleston Elementary students joined others throughout the nation participating in the ABC World News Made in America Challenge.
Students around the country submitted clips of themselves and their classrooms demonstrating how they were going to encourage others to buy “made in America” goods as Christmas gifts. Several clips of Huddleston’s enrichment students were included in the broadcast that aired during the evening news on December 19. Student Elizabeth Wilson talked about how her mom had purchased Slinkys as Christmas presents for her classmates because they are made in America, and Ryan Mowry talked about his letter to Santa requesting only toys that were American made. A group shot featuring the school’s third grade enrichment class and teachers Lisa Evans and Teri McGraw was also shown.
Huddleston enrichment teacher Lisa Evans learned about the challenge and decided to involve her students because they talk a lot about the economy, jobs, patriotism, and rights and freedoms.
“It’s sometimes hard to put [these topics] in kid-friendly terms. The challenge gave me a way to convey these difficult concepts without upsetting students, and to provide them with something that they could actually do to improve the situation,” said Evans.
Evans also points out that the Made in America Challenge is a good, practical way to involve students and their families in supporting fellow Americans.
“It provides us with a forum to discuss the economy and how buying American leads to jobs, which leads to spending, which leads to more jobs, etc,” she explains.
Many students returned to school with stories and a few examples of items they either received or gave because they took the challenge. Ryan Mowry, one of the students featured in the story, was even seen by relatives in England on the BBC.
Go to http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/schools-join-made-america-movement-15193022 to view the broadcast.
