Selfless summer: Springdale students give back to community

Raegan Couch gets a hug from Brian Watt, band director of Central Junior High in Springdale. Raegan cut her hair this spring and donated it to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths program, which uses donated hair to make wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer. Raegan donated the hair in the name of Nancy Watt, Brian Watt’s mother, who just finished 18 weeks of chemotherapy.
Raegan Couch gets a hug from Brian Watt, band director of Central Junior High in Springdale. Raegan cut her hair this spring and donated it to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths program, which uses donated hair to make wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer. Raegan donated the hair in the name of Nancy Watt, Brian Watt’s mother, who just finished 18 weeks of chemotherapy.

The students' hands kept going up. Student after student asked for help. They were trying to understand exponential functions a couple weeks ago in a summer school class for ninth-grade math -- Algebra I -- at Central Junior High School in Springdale.

photo

NWA Democrat-Gazette

Raegan Couch shows the length to which her waist-length hair was cut during the last week of school. She donated an 11-inch ponytail to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths program. “I thought it would be better to give the hair to a worthy cause than just throw it away,” Raegan said.

photo

NWA Democrat-Gazette

Sojas Wagle talks with Larry Guidry as he helps tutor students during a summer school math class June 10 at Central Junior High School in Springdale. Wagle gave up three weeks of his summer vacation to help other students with the subject he loves.

photo

NWA Democrat-Gazette

Sojas was able to explain difficult math concepts to his fellow students in terms they could understand. He also helped lead instruction on several concepts.

"What's 2 times 4?" asked Sojas Wagle, who just completed ninth grade across town at Southwest Junior High. "OK, now what's 2 to the power of 4? Remember to multiply everything by 8."

Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths

pantene.com

Sojas wasn't in the summer class for grade recovery. Rather he volunteered his summer mornings to tutor students in the class. As Sojas helped the kids that day, the teacher, Tom Dederich, was able to counsel students individually. And sometimes, Dederich would hand over the dry-erase marker, letting Sojas lead the instruction of concepts.

It was Sojas' idea to give his time to fellow students this summer. He contacted his principal, Shannon Tisher, who in turn contacted Paul Greip, the principal at Central.

Sojas' mother, Aprana Wagle, said the idea was "all Sojas."

"There's no pushing Sojas," she said. "He loves tutoring. He's wanted to do it for a long time, but we just didn't know how.

"I was hoping he'd want to sleep a little later (in the summer), wake up a little later. I told (her two sons) summer was supposed to be different (than the school year). They're supposed to go bike riding. They're supposed to go swimming. But (Sojas) has us on a schedule because he wants to get there early to work with the kids."

"It is a great opportunity to give back to the community," Sojas said humbly.

Students were eager for Sojas' help, and he talked to them like he would any fellow student.

Hailey Pineda said Sojas explains the concepts in "teen" words and with an attitude the kids appreciate. "He's smart, really smart," she said.

"The kids love him," Dederich said.

Many people recognize Sojas as the Springdale student who placed third in the 2015 National Geography Bee. Also gifted in math, he completed Algebra I in seventh grade. In ninth grade, he completed pre-calculus and trigonometry, and this summer he is teaching himself Calculus I, as he did with Advanced Placement psychology.

"Algebra I is one of my favorite math classes," Sojas said of his summer duties. "It's consistent. It's concise. It's straight forward. Even if you're bad at math, you can do algebra."

Sojas also benefits from the tutoring time. It helps him remember the concepts taught in Algebra I before he takes the ACT and SAT tests this fall. "Once I learned higher math, I have forgotten some of what I learned before," he said. "I want algebra to be fresh in my mind."

And he finds applying his knowledge to teaching a concept gives him a different perspective and a deeper understanding. "(Teaching) it teaches you to question yourself and maybe learn something different," Sojas said.

Sojas also gives back in other ways. He tutors at the Boys & Girls Club in Fayetteville. He was named most valuable player at the state championship Quiz Bowl contest, which his school won. He is an accomplished musician, playing violin with the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra. He was president of the SWJH student council and a member of the debate team, both of which he hopes to continue in the fall at Har-Ber High School. He said he also hopes to plan a rally designed to introduce the issue of gun violence to his peers.

MAKING THE CUT

Raegan Couch walked into the band room the last week of school missing something important. It was the day to turn in band uniforms at Central Junior High in Springdale, and the ninth-grader had that in tow.

She walked in, turned around and showed off her new haircut, recalled Brian Watt, the school's band director. Then she handed him a letter.

Dear Mr. Watt,

I just wanted to thank you for two really memorable years. Being in your band has taught me so much and has helped me build many friendships that will last a lifetime. I've grown and changed so much over the past few years, and I believe you had a part in that.

You've done so much for me; I could never thank you enough. I know your mom has been battling cancer, so I hope you don't mind if I donate my hair to Pantene in her honor. I know it doesn't seem like much to me, but it will have a great impact on somebody else.

I have donated my hair before, but this time has to be the most memorable because I actually have a reason to.

Thank you so much for everything Mr. Watt! I'm going to miss you so much next year and the challenges you always gave us!

Sincerely,

Raegan Couch

"In early December, my mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer," Watt said. "She just went through 18 weeks of chemo. I think I mentioned it in class probably once."

Raegan donated about 11 inches of hair to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program. The program works with the American Cancer Society to weave the hair into wigs, which are given free to women who have lost their hair due to cancer and its sometimes harsh treatments. An 8-inch ponytail is the minimum donation.

"I banded it, and cut it, and put it in a zip-lock," Raegan said.

Raegan also gave Watt a copy of the official letter she sent to Pantene and another for his mother, Nancy Watt of Springdale.

"I cried. I'm not going to lie to you. I had tears in my eyes," Watt said, with a few more tears from the memory.

As a junior high teacher who works with young teenagers every day, Watt saw even more significance in Raegan's actions. "For a junior high student to think about somebody other than themselves ...," he said. "But this goes way beyond that."

Raegan said Watt was a "meaningful teacher" for her. "He pushed us to be a better person, both in band and outside of it."

Raegan humbly said her gift wasn't that much, but it took her hip-length hair to just below her shoulders -- a nervous change for a junior high student.

Raegan said she has donated her cut hair four times -- the first time when she was 9 years old. The woman who cuts her hair, Kim Mennis at the former Beauty World in Springdale, survived cancer and suggested a donation. "I thought it would be better to give the hair to a worthy cause than just throw it away," Raegan said.

She noted she planned to cut her hair later this summer -- "before band camp because it can be hard to manage." But she cut it three weeks early, so she would be able to give back to Watt.

"She has a good heart, even when she was younger," said Raegan's mother, Rae Couch. She noted that Raegan was assigned to help a special needs student, "and if Raegan was ever absent, that poor kid was at kind of a loss," Rae Couch said.

Raegan, the daughter of Rae and Brent Couch, played clarinet in the CJH band and served her ninth-grade year as drum major. She played soccer for Har-Ber High School, which she hopes to continue, and will march with the school's color guard in the fall She also is active with her church youth group, Cross Church in Springdale. She completed the school's difficult AP human geography class this year.

When asked what she does with her spare time, Raegan replied: "Homework."

"As much as she's doing, she's never let's us down," Watt said.

FRIENDS

One Tuesday this summer, Alvin Hiram joined his family to eat a meal at the Samaritan Community Center in Springdale.

The rising junior was surprised to find fellow schoolmates from Springdale High School serving the meal that day.

"I was really happy to see my friends," Alvin said.

As they were to see him.

"I said, 'Hey, look. There's Alvin," said David Zedekaia, a senior who knew Hiram from their participation in the school's Islander Club.

Jean Davis, an instructional facilitator at the school, thought Alvin was a bit embarrassed as his family was served their free meals.

But Hiram's friends got their own plates and sat down to eat with him, she said. By the end of the meal, the students had talked Alvin and his mother into letting him join their group.

The students were part of a summer leadership program started at the school that found the students bicycling to city hall, riding the A&M Railroad excursion train to historic Van Buren and serving lunch for the community.

"I was happy to know they were helping the community," Alvin said of his friends. "They treated me like I was someone special, like the people eating there were someone special. I thought it was good they were doing what they had chose to do. Kids my age, we don't really do anything."

"I thought it was pretty cool that he came to join us (in the program)," said senior Maria Jorge. "Not only could he be a friend, but he could be a leader.

"There's no embarrassment to go eat at a church," she continued. "I've been there. It's pretty cool that people give food for it. As I was serving food, I was seeing their faces, knowing it could be me who comes here to eat."

David remembered the smiles on the faces of the Samaritan Center diners, as he took up their plates after they finished eating. "Seeing how they smiled triggered me to smile," David said, his own big grin growing bigger.

"Hearing them say thank you," Maria said. "It was better than getting something big from them."

"Someone said -- I don't know who -- but they said, 'It's better to give than to receive,'" David repeated.

"It's a happy memory. I love to volunteer," Maria said. "We were able to make a change in their lives -- not a big change, but just serving food like it was our own home."

In addition to participation in the Islander Club, David helps broadcast for Bulldog TV. Maria served on the junior class council, worked with prekindergarten students at Jones Elementary and is active in her church, St. Rafael Catholic in Springdale.

Alvin will serve next year as vice president of the Islander Club.

"I'm just a normal kid," he said.

NAN Our Town on 06/23/2016

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