Lisa Chandler, Gifted Resource Teacher at Moody Middle School, serves as a member of the Education Advisory Board for Lead2Feed, a national leadership program supported by the Lift A Life Foundation. This program is designed to develop and strengthen leadership and collaboration skills while providing the opportunity for students to complete a service learning project from conception through implementation. Lisa spent part of this past summer meeting with other members of the national advisory board and participating in a Learning + Leadership Summit in conjunction with the Novak Leadership Institute at the University of Missouri.
Lisa tells us that utilizing the Lead2Feed lessons with her students has been a powerful journey, for both her and her students. Lisa was offered the opportunity to serve on the advisory board in part because of the success that her students have had as they participated in the program.
Participation in Leed2Feed requires extensive research, project management, and real-life connections with our local community. Students explore their personal strengths and passions, research and analyze data about a community issue, and plan, develop, modify, and complete a service learning task directly related to a targeted need. As the students work through the various leadership lessons, they document the obstacles encountered, successes, and ultimate outcomes of their service learning projects. Progress is shared with the Lead2Feed organization from beginning to end.
Each year, Lead2Feed recognizes exemplary service learning projects from across the nation. Lisa’s 8th grade gifted enrichment classes at Moody have been nationally recognized the past three years for their exceptional work. In 2016 her students were awarded 3rd place recognition for their efforts supporting Rikki’s Refuge, earning this nonprofit a $5,000.00 donation. in 2017, her students were awarded a 2nd place $10,000.00 donation to AARF, and in 2018, students received “Honorable Mention” and a $2,500.00 donation to the Richmond SPCA.
In addition to raising awareness and advocating for numerous local non-profit agencies over the past three years, Moody students have raised over $20,000.00 in donations and s