Students Defying Stereotypes by Helping Cancer Patients
Maplewood High School in Nashville, Tennessee is notorious for making headlines in the news. One example from the local ABC affiliate: “134 arrests made at Maplewood H.S. since August”. The administration and teachers work hard every day to change the negative reputation of the school and its students. A handful of students in Mr. Dale Rehn’s class are fed up with the stereotypes too. So, they’re doing something about it.
A group of sophomore girls want to shout it from the roof tops that it’s not all gloom and doom at Maplewood. There are many good, hard-working students trying to make a difference in the world. Keirstin Smith, Kateriah Knox, Jahkaya Foxx, Janeisha Powell, and Deja Moore, along with their teacher Dale Rehn, came up with the idea of knitting hats for cancer patients at Saint Thomas Health, a part of Ascension Tennessee. As part of the school’s community benefit partnership, the students are given tours of the hospitals to visit patients. During one of the tours, Kateriah saw a stack of knitted hats at the hospital’s volunteer office and asked about them. When the Director of Volunteer Services Ashley Harold told Kateriah the hats are for the cancer patients, she asked Mr. Rehn if they, the students, can learn how to knit. Without hesitation, Mr. Rehn said yes!
Watch how these dedicated students are making a difference learning to knit hats and then hand delivering them to the patients at Saint Thomas West Hospital. Nothing Shall Be Impossible.
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