Courtesy photo National Honor Society students from Gladstone High School show first-graders at Cameron Elementary how to tie their shoes.

By Noah Johnson

njohnson@dailypress.net

GLADSTONE — Students from a local high school spent time teaching first graders an important fine motor skill.

National Honor Society (NHS) students from Gladstone High School spent a morning at Cameron Elementary teaching first-grade students how to tie their shoes.

Students at Gladstone said a teacher at Cameron was constantly tying kids’ shoes after recess, which was very time-consuming, especially in the winter months when kids are changing from shoes to boots throughout the day. Thanks to the NHS students, those kids now have a better understanding of how to tie their shoes properly on their own.

“Overall, the teachers like it, we like it, it’s kind of like a win-win situation for everybody,” said Senior Riley Rebholz.

In addition to the high school students and teachers enjoying the initiative, the first graders have a blast seeing the ‘big kids.’

Senior Lauren Sundquist said once the students figure out how to tie their shoes, they are beyond excited.

“They’re running to their teacher, (and) they’re like, look what I can do now,” she said.

Senior Alexa Wetthuhn said some kids may not fully grasp the concept. Still, they have a better understanding of the process.

“A few kids get it right away. We all learn at different levels, so some kids like get it right away or already know how to, so that leaves like one kid that you’re really able to work on and if they don’t get it by the end of that hour, they know the foundation at least,” she said.

Gladstone Principal Andy Jacques said his son was in the class when the NHS students came by and reported back that he loved the experience.

“I got to hear it firsthand, and he thought it was just so cool how the big kids came over and were able to be able to interact with him for one, but to be able to tie their shoes for two. And he just thought it was so cool to be able to see the bigger kids and have them as role models,” he said.

He added that his son was especially excited to interact with the student-athletes.

Rebholz explained that the students first watch an instructional video. Then, she and her NHS counterparts demonstrate and repeat until the kids tie on their own.

“We just kind of reiterated the video over and over and over and over, so everybody was kind of on the same page,” she explained.

Rebholz, Sundquist, and Wetthuhn all said their experiences at Cameron gave them a new appreciation for teachers and taught them a thing or two about patience.

“It just showed me that even though it can be exhausting saying the same thing over and over again, that most of these teachers are so passionate about what they do, and they love helping kids. It’s really, I guess, cool to see that and to see just how patient they can be,” Wetthuhn said.

Sundquist echoed Wetthuhn, saying the teachers are very enthusiastic about what they teach, which helps the kids not only learn but want to learn.

“Keeping enthusiasm is something that can be hard, but those teachers do that so well,” Sundquist explained.

The shoe-tying initiative is just one of the many outreach programs that NHS students are involved in. For example, every month, the group goes to Cameron and reads to some of the younger students.

Jacques talked about what he and his staff are trying to accomplish, saying the school wants to produce educated young adults who are also good people.

“I want them to be better people by the time that they cross that (graduation) stage than they were when they walked into this place, and that’s our main goal,” Jacques said.

He added that he and the staff treat the students like adults, holding them accountable when they mess up and lifting them up when they’re down.

“We try to emphasize just being a good person, being respectful, and making sure that they’re better people when they leave here,” he said.