Christine Epp

Epp's "Classrooms Bridging Continents" project is designed to foster a sense of stewardship and global responsibility in her students at Hayden Valley Elementary School. Last year, Epp's class adopted a kindergarten class on the island of Gizo in the Solomon Islands whose school was destroyed by a tsunami. Since that time the school has been rebuilt; however, it has minimal supplies. Epp and her students now plan to expand the project for the entire school to participate in helping those who are less fortunate. The first-grade students will become the "ambassadors" to present the idea to the school and enlist the support of their fellow students. They will then send supplies and books to the school, including books with photos and drawings of themselves and their own school to provide the village children with a snapshot of what school and life are like in rural northwestern Colorado. Epp, who lives in Hayden, hopes the program will help improve the education for young children with limited resources and encourage leadership, teamwork, empathy, and an overall understanding among her students of the diversity of human lives.