West Lowndes student hopes to brighten visitors’ spirits at BMH
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Google has a “20% time” policy that encourages employees to spend 20% of the workweek on something they are passionate about.
Students at West Lowndes told us they picked up this model to work on some projects that make the world a better place.
One 7th grader is using his time to hopefully bring a smile to people at the hospital.
Dustin Smith said he knows the hospital can sometimes be a somber place.
So, he decided to create something to help brighten the day for visitors and patients.
“If people were down, or their family members were in the hospital or their loved ones are feeling down, or if they are just down in general, and they want to sit out in the park area that Baptist Memorial Hospital has, they can see birds and a big colorful birdhouse to make them happy,” Smith said.
Dustin got the materials, built the birdhouse, painted it, and donated it to Baptist Memorial Hospital.
Dustin hopes to bring a smile to the faces of those visiting patients or who may be having a rough day.
“I just want to see people happy,” Smith said.
This was a passion project for his Merit Class at West Lowndes High School.
Priscilla Nelson said this was inspired by Google’s “20% time” policy, where the company allows employees to use 20% of their week on projects they are passionate about.
“There are several different items like Gmail and things like that, that came as a result of them having time to do things they were interested in and passionate about,” Nelson said. “So, it started creeping into the classrooms. I did some research on it and decided to do it with my students.”
After choosing and researching a topic, students got to put their ideas to work to see how they could make an impact in their school and community.
“It really means a lot because through the process of it, there was a lot of, ‘Oh wow, this is a lot of work,'” Nelson said. “But it made them focus on things like that, and to me that’s a skill they’ll need in the real world when they’re out on a job, or whatever they’re seeking to do. Whether they’re going to college next, or straight into the workforce, it gave them a sense of responsibility, and they felt like this is something, ‘I have accomplished.'”
Students got to see their ideas go from a thought to something real.
“I hope that they will have smiles on their faces, and even if they’re not sad, it will brighten their mood a little bit,” Smith said.
Dustin said he hopes to explore more passion projects in the future.
