Seventh and eighth graders at Clinton Middle School celebrated the lighting of the Wishtree.
The tree, outside of the CCS Theater, was lit Jan. 12. This tree, previously used last year by the seventh grade English class, is being repurposed to carry lights and resolutions to make a positive impact in the community.
Last school year, the inspiration for this project came after the Class of 2026 read ‘A Long Walk to Water’ by Linda Sue Park and ‘Wishtree’ by Katherine Applegate in their English class.
A Long Walk to Water highlights South Sudan’s continuing need for clean water. As students read, they developed empathy for the people of South Sudan, and wanted to find a way to make a difference.
The organization ‘Water for South Sudan’ provides actionable opportunities for people to help. Seventh graders decided a great way to raise funds for this water project would be to utilize the idea of a Wishtree.
In April 2021, students charged $1 for each wish hung on the Wishtree. All donations collected went to the ‘Water for South Sudan’ organization.
The authors of A Long Walk to Water (Linda Sue Park) and Wishtree (Katherine Applegate) both added their wishes to the tree!
Approximately $550 was donated to “Water for South Sudan” in May 2021 as a result of the Wishtree giving opportunity.
This school year, the Class of 2027 (seventh graders) decided to draw attention to the Wishtree again.
During the lighting ceremony, seventh grader Jude Leising presented a speech to his peers explaining the importance of how a…
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