Continuing the civics lessons by supporting the troops at Boca Middle
The students in Ms. Oyer's social studies classes at Boca Raton Middle School continue to show that they have learned the true meaning of civic involvement. As you may recall, Ms. Oyer's classes actively participated in the effort to fight the cancellation of the television show "Jericho" by writing protest letters to CBS and bringing in spare change to help purchase advertisements in Variety.
Not content with stopping there, Ms. Oyer and the students learned of a program where DVD's of "Jericho" are sent to troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Staten Island Program For Our Homefront purchased and shipped 100 DVD's of "Jericho" season one last year. Ms. Oyer's students raised $440.27 which will buy 20 DVD's of "Jericho" season two for the soldiers and Ms. Oyer contributed to make it 21 DVDs. Currently, the program has raised enough to purchase 67 DVD's, making Ms. Oyer's classes a major contributor.
Many of the students have friends and family who either were or are in the military. The students all stressed that they want the servicemen and women to have something to entertain them. As noted by Ashley Cope, "My uncle is thinking of going to war and I want to support people like I would support my uncle." Billy Tobener concurred noting that his uncle was in Iraq and said "it was boring and there was nothing to watch on television." Julian Parks summed it up by stating that he "wanted the troops to not just think about war."
The students raised the money through a variety of means, including enlisting their parents assistance and picking up spare change found on the school floors. Bobby Kron raised the most money and said he did chores to raise his contribution.
The DVD's donated by Ms. Oyer's classes will be sent as soon as the second season is released in mid-June. They will contain a personal message for the troops noting that the DVD's were purchased by the students and will provide address information for the soldiers to respond to.
As the school year is winding to a close, it is clear that these students have learned valuable lessons in civics and philanthropy that will create a lasting legacy. Their donations, which coincide with Memorial Day, highlight for all of us the need to support our troops and be active participants in the local, national and global level. If you would like more information about the DVD donations or the students involvement with "Jericho" go to http://www.jerichorangers4ourtroops.com/ or http://www.Jericho4kids.com .
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Comments
Wow, you guys just blow me away! These are lessons that will last for the rest of their lives - I wish you had been my teacher, Ms. Oyer!
So glad that Shelby and Zac found new friends, too.
The DVDs for troops earned even more money over the holiday weekend as Shelby and Zac sacrificed some of their precious Jericho treasures for a raffle. I know the troops appreciate it and we Rangers all appreciate you and are so glad to have you in the ranks of Jericho Rangers!
I have to say it again - You guys just ROCK!
Posted by: N2N2 | May 30, 2008 11:48 AM
Kudos to these students--and to Ms. Oyer--for taking the initiative and helping our troops!
Posted by: Sam | May 30, 2008 2:13 PM
As a rabid Jericho fan, I love seeing any Jericho article. However, this one is more about the kids and what they have accomplished and deservedly so. Kudos to a great bunch of kids and a wonderful teacher.
Posted by: delana201 | May 30, 2008 3:32 PM
Hugs to all the kids and teachers and parents for their good works.
P.S. Give a hug to a soldier if you see one!
Posted by: DGG | June 10, 2008 8:51 AM
one of my friends is there. She is wearing a black skirt and a red shirt with glasses. She was the best since elementary school.
Posted by: kfl | November 4, 2008 9:12 PM