Elgin Market Public School - Bluewater District School Board - Who Is NOBODY?

The Grade 3 classes of Jo Ann Scott and Amanda Brindley at Elgin Market Public School hold up their “Who is Nobody?” dolls as they prepare to make their presentations at the school assembly Thursday afternoon.

Grade 3 students at Elgin Market Public School helped turn the “Who is Nobody?” doll into “Somebody” by working to make a difference in their community and their world.

The “Who is Nobody?” project is sponsored by the Kincardine Rotary Club.

Elgin Market Public School - Bluewater District School Board - Who Is NOBODY?

Hoda Faddah (L), Jordan Moulton, Nolan MacKinnon and Hailey Pyke of Amanda Brindley’s Grade 3 class at Elgin Market, pose with their “Who is Nobody?” doll

The project began in January. Each student is assigned a week to take the “Nobody” doll home. The doll initially has no physical features beyond a head, arms, legs, and torso. There are no facial features and it is neither girl nor boy.

The students are asked to choose an activity where they, along with “Nobody,” choose to help a person or people, animals, or the environment. The idea is to make a difference in the community and the world.

Students picked up garbage and recycled it, donated clothes to the Clothes Hamper, gave to the food bank, sponsored endangered animals or animals who need help (Cozy Cat Kennels), helped grandparents by shovelling snow or pet-sitting for them, raised and donated money for baseball registration for someone less fortunate, raised and donated money for the NICU at London Health Sciences Centre, and raised money for organizations such as autism, asthma, the refugees of Syria, and Women’s House Serving Bruce and Grey.

Elgin Market Public School - Bluewater District School Board - Who Is NOBODY?

Augustus Young (L), Sasha Ross, Aubrey Alers, Jordan Beisel and Makayla Roberts of Jo Ann Scott’s Grade 3 class at Elgin Market, hold their “Who is Nobody?” doll

“Nobody” becomes “Somebody” by being involved in these kinds of activities. The students identify character traits, such as respect, compassion, empathy, etc., that they think they demonstrate. The students also add an item to the Nobody doll that represents their activity.

For example, the student who raised money for baseball registration attached a baseball to “Nobody.” The student who raised money for an orphaned bear cub added eyes to “Nobody” as a symbol of awareness of the bear’s situation.

After having “Nobody” for a week, each student returned the doll and presented his/her activity to the class. The students produced written reports outlining their chosen activity, the character traits they demonstrated, what they added to”Nobody,” and usually included pictures of their activity (with “Nobody”).

Thursday afternoon, the Grade 3 classes presented the results of their many activities at an assembly in front of the whole school, complete with their “Nobody” dolls who had become “Somebody,” thanks to their hard work and dedication.

For more information see www.whoisnobody.com

This article was published in the Saugeen Times on April 7th 2012