The fifth-grade class from Brantner Elementary School in northeast Thornton spent several hours Saturday making life easier for a new member of their community.
The 20 students, their family members, seven teachers, and their principal joined other Homes for Our Troops volunteers to work on a new, accessible home for 28-year-old disabled Marine veteran Patrick “P.J.” Glavey.
“It’s incredible, isn’t it? It’s fantastic not only because they are out here volunteering, but they were really the ones who initiated getting involved, contacting who they needed to and planning this,” said Glavey, who lost both legs in 2010 when he stepped on an IED (improvised explosive device) in Afghanistan.
A 2007 University of Denver graduate with a bachelor’s degree in finance, he is now studying for his master’s degree at Stetson University in Florida and plans to take the certified public accountant exam. He is looking forward to moving into his home in Todd Creek Village, and already knows many of his neighbors who have been coming out to help get the home ready.
The student volunteers are the first class of fifth-graders in Thornton’s newest elementary school in the Villages at Riverdale. They got involved as part of an inquiry project, assigned by teacher Brenna Bidwell and focused on finding common ground. Inquiry-based learning, a concept being used throughout the school, is an interactive, project-based teaching method where children participate in the planning, development and evaluation of learning experiences.
After reading a story about other children who helped people in their community, Bidwell challenged her students to develop their own community service project. Abby Read saw a sign at Glavey’s home site with Homes for Troops request for donations and volunteers, and proposed the idea to her classmates.
“I think it’s pretty cool because we could help a Marine who helped us by serving our country and defending our freedom. We get to have fun and spend time with classmates outside, instead of sitting at home,” said 10-year-old Owen Wilson, who helped write the media release announcing their Saturday participation.
Raking Glavey’s yard in preparation for rolling out sod later, Wilson was joined by several cheerful friends, including Andrea Guzman who added, “We gave up our Saturday and I’m pretty proud of myself. We can say we helped build a house and be proud of it.”