ALAMOSA — Anyone concerned about the world's state needs to spend about 15 minutes with the students on the Mini Moose Crew at Alamosa Elementary School 3-5 because these 18 kids could teach a masterclass in inspiration and caring for others. 

Sponsored by Wendi Wiedeman, AES 3-5 school counselor, and Shauna Rothermich, AES 3-5 Special Education teacher, the Mini Moose Crew is in its second year and was created to, as described by Wiedeman, "teach the importance of giving back to the community," and "getting involved." 

As Wiedeman and Rothermich explain in an email, students don't just sign up to be part of the Crew. They're selected to participate based on teachers' nominations, observations, recommendations, and the student's reasons for wanting to be part of the group. A selection committee then makes the final decision. 

"They were put to work right from day one of their 5th grade school year helping students and parents locate classrooms for parent-teacher conferences," Weideman wrote. 

The Mini Moose Crew meets all year, including during the school day at least once monthly to discuss and help plan upcoming events and "school engagement." 

"The Crew members this year have helped to plan our Red Ribbon Week spirit week," write Wiederman and Rothermich. "They bring concerns or any suggestions from other students to be discussed at our monthly meetings. They lead the Pledge of Allegiance, remind students of our Moose behaviors lead the school in our school motto, all during our morning announcements. They also help with skits during our PBIS assemblies."  

PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Intervention and Support and is part of Alamosa School District's crisis intervention program, which has been implemented to support students. For example, as part of PBIS, students learn how to respond to difficult situations that may occur in classrooms. 

Weideman and Rothermich emphasize that the 18 students are not just members of the Mini Moose Crew, but leaders who are held to a higher standard. Their dedication to their roles and their ability to collaborate effectively to build morale in our Alamosa Elementary 3-5 school and our local community is truly commendable. 

Once a year, the students also choose a community project where they raise funds in support of an organization. 

Last year's Crew chose the Dumb Friends League, an animal rescue organization. This year, they chose to support the Peyton Sanchez Foundation, a 501(c)3 formed by 17-year-old Alamosa High School senior Peyton Sanchez, who was diagnosed at a very young age with an incurable progressively debilitating disease. Despite his own challenges, Peyton has devoted his life to doing things to help other children. One of his goals has been to see the creation of an all-inclusive playground in the city's Cole Park that includes a wheelchair swing. 

In support of the project, the Mini Moose Crew has been collecting money and even sent out a letter to everyone involved with Alamosa School District. 

The letter read, in part, "AES 3-5 and our Mini-Moose Crew are showing our community support by helping to raise money for Peyton's Foundation, now through Dec. 19. 

"If you would like to join us in raising money to help with this project, you can directly contact Venmo Peyton's Foundation @PeytonsPayItForward. If supporting this project, please DO NOT mark for "goods" or "service" and Peyton's Foundation will get your entire donation amount.  

"It would also be especially cool if your school would like to join in on this community project and help raise funds. Please let me know if you have any questions," said Wiedeman.” 

Interested in what this all looked like in person, the Valley Courier spent some time with members of the Mini Moose Crew. 

When the kids were asked what the Crew is and what they do, almost every hand shot up with comments about "helping others" and "setting an example for other kids".  

"We do group projects fundraisers to give to the school and the community," Brantlee said. "And we try to be a good influence on everybody around us." 

Dominic took the explanation a step further: "We make other kids feel better about themselves and treat others the way you want to be treated." When asked the tough question, "How do you help other kids feel better about themselves?" he added, "Compliments, high fives, and fist bumps." 

When asked if it's fun, there was a resounding "Yes!" 

When asked why it's important to help others, Kelita jumped in first. "It's important to help others because you know you're making a difference and you're making the world better." 

Lorena said, "When you help someone, it gives them the courage to move on with their day and maybe even help someone else. When you say something nice to a person, that can encourage them to do their best." 

Next year, the students will be going to Ortega Middle School. When asked if they think they will continue to help others, every student answered with a thoughtful "yes." They also talked about how being part of the Mini Moose Crew had changed them.  

Raygan feels more like a leader and was going to run for student council, something she hadn't thought of doing before. 

Analie said that, when she was in the fourth grade, there was the joke that she wouldn't get accepted to be part of the Mini Moose Crew. "I didn't think about being nice before, but now I'm a nicer person." Drake said he knows it's made him "more helpful," and Milan said he feels like he's a stronger leader at school and in the community. "It has given me a lot more positivity and how I think about myself. It's helped my self-esteem a lot," he said. 

Brantlee said the Crew has helped her understand kids with disabilities more. "I think about what they're going through and their challenges and how it feels to be them." 

The students don't seem to be the only ones impacted by the Mini Moose Crew experience. "How lucky am I to be able to sponsor such a wonderful group of kids," Weideman wrote. "I can promise, they teach me things all of the time - more than I teach them." 

The Mini Moose Crew ends their fundraising efforts on December 19. Until then, people can donate by contacting the school or via Venmo.  

At AES 3-5, being kind and helpful to others is becoming cool. That's a lesson that seems especially applicable today. 

Anyone interested in contributing to Peyton's Foundation can do so by going to https://venmo.com/u/PeytonsPayItForward.