Local Is Global: How South Graham Elementary Is Taking Action Against Hunger

Global learning doesn’t stop at awareness—it leads to action.

As a Global Leaders partner for nearly a decade, South Graham Elementary has built a strong foundation for connecting classroom learning with real-world challenges. During a recent event focused on hunger, students applied what they had learned about the issue by writing original songs, creating informative visuals, and organizing a food drive that served their local community. 

This schoolwide experience was made possible by music specialist Angela Windley, who thoughtfully designed the event in collaboration with the school’s specials teachers and global committee. Together, they created opportunities for students to transform knowledge into impact while building essential global competencies and career-readiness skills like communication, collaboration, and empathy along the way.

This event reflected a core belief of the Global Leaders framework: that local action can drive global change. When students take action in their own communities, like organizing a food drive or raising awareness through art, they’re not only making an immediate impact locally but also developing the mindset and skills to contribute to global solutions. At Participate Learning, we’re proud to partner with South Graham in this mission, supporting students as they develop the competencies they’ll need to thrive in college, careers, and life.

Global Learning in Action: How Students Used Music to Raise Awareness About Hunger

Students from some grade levels used music as a creative outlet to explore the question: What can we do to help fight hunger?

Each grade took a unique approach, blending performance with purpose. First-, third-, and fifth-grade students wrote their own lyrics and selected their music, with one class even composing an original melody. That class’s song, “We Can All,” delivered an uplifting message of unity and shared responsibility to end hunger, enhanced by student-choreographed dancing.

Another performance was set to the familiar tune of “Happier.” This song told a powerful story, inviting listeners to reflect deeply on the experience of hunger and the importance of compassion for those experiencing food insecurity.

In translating their ideas through songwriting, movement, and performance, students practiced communication, self-awareness, empathy, and understanding of global issues. By listening closely and engaging emotionally with the stories behind the music, the audience had the opportunity to build on these global competencies in themselves. 

Student Posters Highlight Global Food Insecurity and Nutrition

While some students expressed themselves through music and dance, others brought their learning to life through visual storytelling.

Second-grade students focused on nutrition, creating informative posters about healthy foods and how eating well supports a strong body and mind. Fourth-grade students researched global hunger, exploring causes, consequences, and possible solutions. The powerful visuals they created were displayed throughout the gym during the event.

Creating and presenting these posters helped students develop research, visual communication, and critical thinking skills, preparing them for future academic and career success.

A Schoolwide Food Drive with Real-World Impact

South Graham’s food insecurity event culminated in the school taking local action with a community food drive. Families were encouraged to donate canned and nonperishable items to support the local food bank, and the response was overwhelming.

Our school collected 627 cans and nonperishables…with the top class bringing in 94,” said Windley. “I am so proud of these students…I am so proud of what they have done.

This hands-on experience helped students understand how seemingly small actions can lead to big change and strengthened their sense of personal responsibility and initiative.

Connecting Global Challenges to Future Careers

At South Graham Elementary, students explored the global challenge of hunger through a hands-on, schoolwide experience that helped them build critical skills for the future. Guided by Participate Learning’s Blueprint for a Better World, a framework that connects classroom learning to real-world global challenges, students applied their knowledge in powerful ways. 

By writing songs, designing informative visuals, and organizing a food drive, students practiced collaboration, empathy, communication, and critical thinking—global competencies essential for success in college and careers. As they investigated the root causes of food insecurity and took meaningful local action, students deepened their understanding of global issues and developed a stronger sense of agency.

Empowering Young Leaders to Act

South Graham Elementary’s ending-hunger-focused event was more than just a day of performances and posters. It also was a celebration of student voices, educator innovation, and the power of global learning in action. By taking on a challenge that exists both at home and around the world, students discovered how their ideas, actions, and leadership matter. In learning to care locally, they learned how to lead globally.

At South Graham, the idea that “local is global” isn’t just a message; it’s a mindset. And that mindset is preparing students to meet the world with purpose and be successful no matter where their careers take them.