COMMUNITY SCHOOLS Mill Pond students donate $7,500 to Westborough Connects

WESTBOROUGH – West - borough Connects has announced that it has received a $7,500 donation from Team Wonder - a cohort of three sixth-grade classes at Mill Pond Elementary School led by the teaching team of Stephanie Garrett, Lynn Thompson, Dawn Stiles, Kate Haywood, Caitlin Boissonneault and Liz Henriques.

The donation was directed for use to support communitybased programming related to substance use prevention and education in Westborough.

Garrett, a 22-year veteran teacher at Mill Pond, challenged the team of nearly 70 students to do something to “make the world a better place.” At the June 20 ceremony to announce the donation, Garrett told the students, “Well, you’ve done it.”

Through a multidisciplinary project-based learning assignment, students were tasked with planning, managing and executing multiple phases of the project, including a “Shark Tank” event where parents and caregivers served as “sharks.” They listened to students pitch their innovations, deciding which ones to “invest in.”

The students also planned a schoolwide fair, selling homemade goods and treats, with opportunities for students to learn about event planning, marketing, logistics and sales. Philanthropy and leadership were also critical skills honed for this project.

Throughout the monthslong project, students researched various topics and causes to determine where they would direct the money they were raising along the way. Ultimately, the classes agreed that, given the epidemic of substance use in today’s society, they wanted their funds to go toward education and prevention for future generations and the local community.

Team Wonder chose Westborough Connects because of its experience with community programming, particularly