Shawn Arsenault鈥檚 class has been hard at work this past week raising money to help one of their schoolmates.
As part of their community engagement project, the Grade 6 French immersion class is raising money to help Bella Tiesenhausen, a Jasper Elementary School student living with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy.
The condition has left Bella with developmental delays, deficient gross and fine motor skills, neural-developmental delay and cognitive impairment.
Arsenault said a big focus of the Grade 6 Social Studies curriculum is democracy, so he let his students vote on a cause to support. Bella won almost unanimously.
鈥淚t was completely their idea,鈥� he explained.
The class quickly organized a lunchtime movie and a dance, which raised them more than $250; an impressive feat considering the money came in 50 cent and $1 increments.
They are also planning a bake sale, which Arsenault estimated will pull in another $100.
They will give the money to Bella鈥檚 family, who just returned from Panama where Bella received a stem cell treatment they hope will dramatically improve her life.
Bella鈥檚 mother, Connie Tiesenhausen, said Bella is already showing 鈥渞eally optimistic signs.鈥�
Three days after the session, Bella, who had never spoken a word in her life, learned to say 鈥渉i鈥� and 鈥済o.鈥�
Bella also learned signs for 鈥渉elp,鈥� 鈥渕ilk,鈥� and 鈥渕e,鈥� where in the past learning one sign has taken her six months.
Tiesenhausen said Bella鈥檚 motor skills have also improved, and she just learned the difficult task of jumping backwards.
Bella鈥檚 progress means even more, Tiesenhausen said, because it has been helped along in part by the generosity of Bella鈥檚 schoolmates.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 wonderful the kids are acknowledging Bella how she is,鈥� Tiesenhausen said. 鈥淔or them to get a higher understanding is just so important.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very grateful,鈥� she added.
Along with the money the students raised, Arsenault said his class鈥� project also helped teach students how to better understand Bella.
As part of their fundraising efforts, Arsenault鈥檚 students went to each class and explained what they were doing, and a little about Bella and her situation. These visits left the whole school with a better appreciation for Bella鈥檚 condition, and Arsenault thinks that will help them interact with Bella more empathetically.
Isabelle Glover is one of the students behind the fundraising effort. She said she and her classmates wanted to help 鈥渂ecause we knew Bella, and she really needed help to get to Panama.鈥�
Glover鈥檚 sister Emma agrees. She said she was excited to help Bella however she could, and hopes her class鈥� contribution will help the Tiesenhausens.
鈥淚鈥檓 pretty glad we were able to help her,鈥� Glover said.
聽Trevor Nichols
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