The recipient of this week's Ben's Bell is Donna Engelbert, who teaches sixth-grade social studies at Dodge Magnet Middle School but also strives to instill students with lessons on character, morality and the importance of being part of the community.
Engelbert was nominated by Dodge Principal Cathy Comstock on behalf of the entire school staff. Comstock described Engelbert as "literally the first person who comes to mind when we think of being kind and helping others."
"I think through the years she's impacted hundreds, if not thousands, of kids through her actions," Comstock said.
Engelbert began teaching in the Tucson Unified School District 30 years ago, starting at Manzo Elementary and moving to Schumaker Elementary, instructing third-, fourth, fifth- and sixth-graders along the way. She arrived at Dodge, 5831 E. Pima St., 12 years ago.
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She was inspired to join the profession by an aunt who was a teacher, influential teachers she had and a deep and long-standing desire "to be involved with kids, helping them build character, develop leadership skills and definitely give them opportunities to do community service."
She always tried to ingrain service lessons in her students, but that really picked up when she arrived at Dodge and got involved with the Builder's Club, through which students perform community service across the city. When the club's adviser transferred about five years ago, Engelbert took over the position.
Last year, the students put together 100 shoeboxes filled with goodies that they sent to soldiers in Afghanistan. They throw an annual luncheon at the Ronald McDonald House, and hold other fundraisers for the charity, which helps the families of seriously ill children by providing lodging and other support. Engelbert said the students raised $466 for the group this year, and $750 last year through car washes and other events.
Students also hold an annual "Pennies for Pasta" program to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Students bring in pennies — or nickels, quarters or even dollars from friends and relatives — and the class that raises the most money gets a pasta party. Last year, they raised more than $2,600 for the group.
Then there's the day students spent at Make a Difference Day at Reid Park, painting recycling bins. They've also marched in the AIDS Walk in previous years.
And then there's "Sandwich Saturday," a monthly event that has students team up with community members at St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church to make and bag sandwiches for the homeless people who eat at the Casa Maria soup kitchen. Fifteen to 20 kids show up, Engelbert said, and many bring parent volunteers, too.
"I think the students have developed a really great idea of how important community service is," Engelbert said.
"We're trying to develop them as young leaders and good citizens in our community."
Engelbert's efforts are definitely working, Comstock said.
She praised Engelbert's classroom lessons, calling her an "outstanding teacher" whose students do well academically. And in the six years that Comstock has led Dodge, she's seen the many other lessons Engelbert's students learn. Comstock also has seen students come back long after they've graduated to continue helping, or talk to Engelbert about what volunteer work they're doing now.
"She has ingrained in them all this sense of service, this desire to give back," she said. "She has so much positive energy and the kids respond so well to it.
"If there's a project or a fund-raising event, she's in the middle of it," Comstock said. "She gives so selflessly and so often. She's impacted so many people throughout the community."
Dodge staffers have known for months that Engelbert was going to retire at the end of the year, Comstock said, and they'd been thinking of different ways to show her how much she's going to be missed.
Comstock said she's known about the Ben's Bells program for a while — Engelbert was even a part of bringing a bell-making session to Dodge a while ago — and when she floated the nomination idea to colleagues, the response was instantaneous. The timing was even better because the folks with the bells chose to honor Engelbert this week — her retirement party is today.
Comstock and Ben's mother, Jeannette Maré-Packard, walked into Engelbert's third-period class Wednesday and presented her with her bell. The 30-strong class began cheering and broke into applause, especially those in the Builder's Club.
"I feel so honored, just totally honored," she said afterward. "I was absolutely shocked."
She also said the timing made her feel even more special. She hadn't been able to sleep all week as she kept reminiscing about the last three decades, all the students she's known and all the friends she's made. She also keeps thinking about coming full circle — she did her student-teaching at Dodge 31 years ago, before it was even called Dodge.
"This is the best school I have ever, ever taught at," she said. "When you ask for people to get involved in activities that help others, they're the first ones to step up to the plate and they can hardly wait to participate. They totally rock, they really do."
As for what comes now, there are no set plans yet.
"I'll probably go off and do more community service and activities that involve students in one form or another," Engelbert said. "But I'll try to relax a little, too."
The project
The Ben's Bells Project began in March 2003, one year after Ben Maré Packard died of croup, just before his third birthday. His family hopes it reminds people to be kind, to help ease one another's pain. The latest phase of the project began in September 2005, weekly "bellings" for those among us who make our community a better, kinder place to live.
Vist www.bensbells.org/ Nominate.html to nominate someone for a Ben's Bell. To learn more about the project, and find out how you can make bells, go to www.bensbells.org or call 628-2829.
