Outreach to Teach

Outreach to Teach
Ganiard Elementary

Through the student organization Student Michigan Education Association (SMEA), I participated in a day of renovation at Ganiard Elementary. With a group of approximately 50 future teachers, I helped revitalize this school.

The group freshened up the teachers lounge and student bathrooms with a new coat of paint. We also landscaped around the front of the school.

We also brightened up their playground. The playground consisted of mostly blacktop, so it created a great canvas for painting.
As a group we repainted their United States map, kickball fields and basketball court lines.


We also added new games such as a multiplication game, alphabet game, bean bag toss, hop-scotch, among many others. The greatest excitement of the day was the huge mural painted on the back of the school representing their school mascot- the Ganiard Gators!

The greatest joy I gained from this experience was the excitement I saw in the students faces as they rode their bikes around the school block throughout the day. Many students stopped by to comment on how awesome the playground looked. This helped drive home the fact that we were making a difference!

(Below are some of the students who stopped by to check out our work!)

One day I hope to bring a great program like this to my school. I think that involving parents, staff, and students in a project like this would provide a great experience in team building for the school, as well as an opportunity to spice up the school grounds!