Preparing For the Empty Bowls Project
In January of 2016, the Art Club at NHS began preparing to host an Empty Bowls Charity dinner, which was to be held on April 22, 2106. This project was a service learning activity that would allow the students to engage in a project that would benefit the whole community. The students invited other local schools help make the bowls. They solicited soup donations from area restaurants, along with bread and water. They were able to secure 11 restaurant donations. They were: Dino’s, Local Tavern, Flavors on the Vine, Trader Jacks, TJ’s on the Avenue, Papa Joes, The Cabin, Two Bucks, Winking Lizard, The Willoughby Brewing Company, and our very own Willoughby-Eastlake district chef. The bread was donated by a local bread company, Orlando Bread. Water was donated from one of our district suppliers and desserts were made by our schools cooking club. Students organized, planned and implemented the entire event. Through this project students gained insight to civic responsibility, they learned about hunger issues in the world and their community and they learned that with hard work and diligence they can make a difference in the world!
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What Students Did!
Students made bowls and they silk-screened T-shirts and Tote bags. They worked on marketing the event by drawing a logo. They sent letters out to the community inviting guests to the event. They created flyers through computer graphics to be posted around the school as well as all over social media. Through persistence they were able to acquire newspaper and television coverage two times! Check it out below. The students threw a "Glaze-A-Thon" party, in which they invited and taught the staff to glaze 75 bowls in one afternoon. Students inspected bowls for craftsmanship and they made table decorations. Throughout every aspect of this project students took on leadership roles to ensure the event would be successful.
Click on the Channel 19 logo to see our news story: Click the link below for the follow up story: www.cleveland19.com/clip/12450265/romonas-kids-students-empty-bowls-event-raises-over-2400 |
The Night of the Event
The night of the event was very exciting! The students decorated and dressed up the school cafeteria. We anticipated approximately 200 guests to attend our event. We had soups from many local restaurants. They were: Dino’s, Local Tavern, Flavors on the Vine, Trader Jacks, TJ’s on the Avenue, Papa Joes, The Cabin, Two Bucks, Winking Lizard, The Willoughby Brewing Company, and our very own Willoughby-Eastlake district chef. Guests were invited to sample as many as they wanted. Guests arrived and were greeted with a large table of colorful bowls to choose from and they had the opportunity to purchase a T-Shirt or a tote bag. They paid $10 for charity and received a bowl and dinner, which consisted of soup, bread, water and dessert. We also had live entertainment that evening, Legacy Duo, a mother and daughter duet. They played contemporary, rock and folk music. They were outstanding! We had a tremendous turn out with over 200 guests, including the Mayors from both communities we service and members of our city council. Also in attendance were our Administration and members of our B.O.E. We had many teachers attend along with lots of family and friends. We raised $2450 for our local food bank that evening!
The students worked very hard that evening, all tasks and jobs were filled by students. Some students worked the the entrance tables, some worked in the kitchen, while others floated about talking with guests about the project. |
What the Students Learned
Over the months of hard work, the students learned many skills, including how to build and glaze ceramic bowls as well as how to silk-screen, both of which are marketable art skills. They also learned how to plan, organize and execute a large function. Students learned marketing and community outreach. They learned civic responsibility and most of all they learned that they can be positive contributors to society. Having raised $2450 for our local food bank, they proved that teens can they can take on leadership roles and make a difference in our community. Our event was such a success the art club students voted unanimously to make it an annual event. Click below to learn how to have an Empty Bowls Event at your school.
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