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STUDENT GROUP FROM DASH NAMED FINALISTS IN NATIONAL COMPETITION TO HELP FEED THE HUNGRY Over the course of the 2013-14 school year, the students in Zudannie Nunez-Hernandez’s World History class at Design & Architecture Senior High (DASH) have not only had the opportunity to engage in lessons about World History, but they have had the chance to learn about the day-to-day realities of the city in which they reside. The students have learned what being an active and engaged citizen is. Miami may be filled with mansions, flashy restaurants, and luxurious shopping but nearly 441,240 residents don’t know where, or if, their next meal will come. More than 140,000 children go to sleep hungry. With statistics that are overwhelmingly sad but true, right here in Miami-Dade County, 17.8 percent of the population faces food insecurity. Miami-Dade ranked the 11th county nation-wide in terms of large metropolitan areas with high percentage of people facing food insecurity. These harsh realities pushed the 9th grade students at DASH to use their talents to raise awareness and rally up their classmates to help bring about change in their community. The students have written songs, created art work, designed logos, created slogans, penned essays, and even created a hashtag of their own, all in an effort to bring awareness to the issue of hunger in their community. They collaborated with Camillus House and with the help of their teacher, Mrs. Nunez-Hernandez, they have set up a monthly casserole pick-up from their school. The students collect, on average, enough casseroles to feed 390 people per month. Thus far, they have helped to feed over 2,370 people this school year alone. They photograph the casseroles that they make at home and post them on social media with their respective hashtag: #phantomfeeders. They bring the casseroles they have made at home with them to DASH and then Camillus House picks them up and provides them to the men, women, and children who come to their door. Last year alone Camillus House served the neediest members of our community with over 400,000 free hot meals. The students have entered the Lead2Feed Challenge, a leadership program with a twist, as the focus is on service learning. Students are challenged to move toward a solution to hunger, and they are motivated to step up and step out as leaders. This year, DASH students’ project and collaboration with Camilus House to assist feeding the hungry, has been considered as a finalist in the Lead2Feed Challenge.
Lead to feed team leaders: (LtoR) Victoria Escobar (photography), Kourtney Lohn (video editor), Dillan Murillo (team logo design), Jessie Davila-Pahl (writing editor), Samantha Perez (singer) and Zudannie Nunez-Hernandez Not pictured: Ari Mairena-Dannon (videography), Aidana Olmo (song writer) and Azul Gurruchaga (writing editor)
Original Art by: Faye Pindell
Original Art by: Cameron Velez # # # 14-JS/087/VVL
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