At ASB Innovation Academy, we empower students to make a change in their community, and that's precisely what this group of seventh-grade students is doing. "We started this group because we noticed a lot of people in need in our school community, and we wanted to help change that," said 7th grader Sawyer Strudsrud. Averi Austreim added, "Helping Hands" came about in 2021, and the name came from the fact that we always shake hands when we deliver a donation." They consider themselves the Junior Community Builders of Williston.
The girls meet formally and weekly during their WINN (What I Need Now) block. Olivia Gratz described the different roles in the group, which consist of a President (Averi Austreim), a Vice President (Olivia Gratz), a Secretary (Kashlyn Combs), a Treasurer (Alex Austreim), a Representative (Sawyer Studrud), and Alternate Officer (Harley Jeannotte). "We are here to make a change in the community and make the world a better place one step at a time," added Averi Austreim.
"Mrs. Land, a sixth-grade teacher at ASB, motivated and supported us in starting this group. She gave us different ideas and would go through the ideas with her," Harley Jeannotte included.
Pictured from left to right are Alex Austreim, Averi Austreim, Kashlyn Combs, Harley Jeannotte, Olivia Gratz, and Sawyer Studsrud,