Tinc Road Elementary School teacher Mary Hund recently made calculating the weight of products donated in two school outreach programs into practical math lessons for a group of her students.

Every week for six weeks, the students used the mobile scale from the nurse’s office to weigh the items donated in the school’s annual food drive and the Giving Tree, an initiative that provides toiletries and gift cards for families within the school community that need a helping hand. To get the most accurate measurements on a scale with a weighing surface designed for two feet instead of large boxes, the donated products were placed in bags and weighed with students holding them. The necessary calculations were then made to determine the actual weights of the goods.

The students’ final project, a poster with bar graphs, showed the quantities donated in each of the six weeks of the drives.

“They knew what their jobs were and worked independently,” said Hund. “Beyond the math, I think the huge outpouring of donations showed them that people are very compassionate to others. They came to understand that giving and helping those less fortunate is more important that receiving.”

Nearly 1,000 pounds of food and toiletries in total were donated by students, parents, and staff members to benefit the Mt. Olive food pantry at Christ Episcopal Church in Budd Lake.

Photo caption: Showing off their work with teacher Mary Hund are Jade Armstrong, Chanel Henderson, Jessica Klima, Jayden Silver, and Ryan Kennedy