The Power of Student Leadership at Cascade Junior High

Sometimes the biggest impact begins with something as simple as an email.

When I first reached out to leadership teacher Brian Slagle at Cascade Junior High, I wasn’t surprised when he immediately saw the potential. Brian is one of those educators who consistently goes above and beyond for his students, creating opportunities for them to learn, lead, and serve others. He shared the idea with his small but mighty leadership class, and they were all in.

Together, they decided late spring would be the perfect time to launch a supply drive benefiting the Chelsea Hicks Foundation. With just a few guidelines from our team, they were off and running.

What happened next was far more than a classroom project.

The leadership students took ownership of the drive and led a school-wide effort to support children facing serious illness. They encouraged fellow students and families to participate, spread the word throughout the school, and inspired others to join them in giving back.

What began as a simple idea quickly became an opportunity for the entire Cascade Junior High community to make a difference. Every donated stuffed animal, book, coloring book, water bottle, and activity item represented the generosity of students and families who chose to help children they would likely never meet. Behind it all was a group of student leaders willing to step up, take initiative, and make it happen.

Fast forward to the final days of the school year, and it was time to pick up the donations.

As excited as I was to see what they had collected, I knew I didn’t want this to be a quick stop. Since I had never met these students, I felt strongly that they deserved more than a simple thank you and a wave goodbye. They had invested their time, creativity, and hearts into this project. They deserved to hear firsthand where their efforts would go and who they would be helping.

So I made the hour-and-forty-five-minute drive to Turner.

During the drive, I found myself wondering what the afternoon would be like. There were only a few days left before summer break. Students were counting down the days. There were assemblies, summer plans, and all the excitement that naturally comes with the end of the school year.

I wasn’t arriving with games, prizes, or a flashy presentation.

I didn’t have any bells and whistles.

I simply brought a slideshow about Chelsea’s story, the history of the Chelsea Hicks Foundation, and a family video sharing the impact our programs have on children and families facing serious illness.

When I arrived, students began filing into the classroom. Conversations filled the room as they talked about upcoming summer plans and the excitement of the final days of school. It would have been easy for them to be distracted.

Instead, they surprised me.

After being introduced, I explained that I wasn’t just there to pick up the donations. I had made the drive because I wanted them to understand the importance of what they had accomplished. I wanted them to know who they were helping and why their efforts mattered.

I shared Chelsea’s story and the reason our foundation exists. I talked about the little girl who inspired it all and how her legacy continues to impact thousands of children each year. I shared how the Chelsea Hicks Foundation now serves children in hospitals throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, providing opportunities for play, imagination, laughter, and moments of joy during some of life’s most difficult circumstances.

Then I connected it back to them.

Every stuffed animal, coloring book, water bottle, book, ball, and activity item they collected would become part of that story. Every donation would help a child smile, laugh, play, and simply be a kid. Every item would remind a child and family that someone cared.

As I looked around the room, I could see something changing.

Students weren’t just hearing about a supply drive anymore.

They were seeing the faces of the children and families behind it.

They were connecting their efforts to something much bigger than themselves.

The pride on their faces was unmistakable.

These students were special.

Their compassion was evident. Their questions were thoughtful. Their attention never wandered. Somehow, forty-five minutes passed without fidgeting, without side conversations, and without the distractions you might expect from a classroom full of students counting down the days until summer vacation.

They were fully present.

They wanted to learn.

They wanted to understand.

Most importantly, they wanted to know that they had made a difference.

And they had.

Not only through the items collected, but through the leadership they demonstrated along the way. They had rallied their school around a cause bigger than themselves. They had shown their peers that giving back matters. They had created an opportunity for students and families throughout their school community to participate in something meaningful.

There is something incredibly powerful about giving young people the opportunity to lead.

Too often we underestimate what students are capable of accomplishing when they are trusted with responsibility and given the chance to serve others.

The leadership students at Cascade Junior High embraced that opportunity wholeheartedly.

By the end of the drive, they had collected five large boxes filled with stuffed animals, children’s water bottles, books, coloring books, crayons, balls, puzzles, and activity items. Soon, these treasures will find their way into the hands of children facing serious illness throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Those boxes represented far more than donations.

They represented kindness.

They represented teamwork.

They represented compassion.

They represented leadership.

They represented a group of students who chose to use their influence to help others.

When it was time to load the donations, students eagerly helped carry box after box to my car. Their excitement and pride were contagious. They knew they had accomplished something meaningful.

As I pulled away from the school, I couldn’t stop thinking about the heart these students had shown.

The donations themselves were wonderful and will make a tremendous impact. But what stayed with me most was witnessing a group of young people discover the power of service, leadership, and community.

At the Chelsea Hicks Foundation, we often talk about bringing hope, healing, and joy to seriously ill children. On this day, I was reminded that those same values are alive and well in the next generation.

Thank you to Brian Slagle and the leadership students at Cascade Junior High for your generosity, compassion, and commitment to making a difference.

Thank you for leading by example.

Thank you for inspiring your classmates to give back.

And thank you for reminding us that when young people are given the opportunity to lead, amazing things happen.

Your gifts will bring smiles, laughter, comfort, and moments of joy to children and families who need them most.

And that is a legacy worth celebrating.