Public education requires public investment, not just in funding, but in attention. In a world of limited resources, the difference between an ordinary education and an extraordinary one can be decided by how many people in a child’s life are willing to go the extra mile to make their school better. Jonathan Thull has committed himself to giving students at Moore Magnet Elementary School that extra level of investment, and he believes anyone at any school can do the same.
A licensed clinical mental health counselor at his own practice, Catalyst: A Helping Hand, Thull began volunteering at Moore through Temple Emanuel and Highland Presbyterian Church’s interfaith pantry, which supports students with food, school supplies, gifts, and more. His father volunteered with the pantry, and after his passing, Thull started working with the pantry to continue his father’s legacy.
This work showed him a need for greater access to fresh produce in Moore’s community, which in turn led him to partner with several teachers to revitalize the school’s raised garden beds. Thanks to a long list of generous community donations, the gardening program at Moore has become one of the school’s proudest assets. Students love tending to plants and bringing fresh food home to their families, and regular workdays attract tons of volunteers, even in suboptimal weather.
Early successes helped enshrine Thull’s primary mindset when it comes to volunteering – never be afraid to ask for help. People are more willing to be part of the solution than one might expect, and many potential volunteers are just waiting for an invitation. Asking for support goes a long way, and there’s no shortage of people to ask. Few causes bring people together like supporting children.
“The community reflects the school, and the school is the catalyst for the community,” Thull said. “Every school is surrounded by potential support systems.”
In Moore’s case, asking has brought in an incredible volume of support. Whether it’s Home Depot donating thousands of dollars in grant money to cover construction costs to renovate the school’s teachers lounge, the Bluebird Society helping build birdhouses, scouts building garden infrastructure for their service projects, the North Carolina Wildlife Federation setting them up as a certified butterfly garden, or a reinvigorated PTA installing lots of new sporting and playground equipment, Thull has offered one of hundreds of hands that have revitalized Moore over the last few years.
All of this work has a direct impact on the quality of education at Moore. Magnet Coordinator Kellie Harris says that, as a STEAM magnet school, Moore takes its responsibility to inspire the next generation of exploratory thinkers seriously. There are more opportunities than ever for students to get outside and see natural sciences in action, as well as to carry out projects with their own hands. They’re taking critical first steps into lifelong learning.
“All of the things we’ve created help facilitate curiosity and interest, and it gives them a different learning environment,” Harris said. “Learning has to happen outside of the four walls of their classrooms, too.”
ESL Teacher Jennifer Estes says that the educational benefits of these community partnerships also spill into cultural benefits. Seeing baby birds grow up in campus birdhouses or making meals with produce they helped cultivate gives students a sense of ownership in the places they spend most of their days, which makes them feel more like an active part of their school rather than a passive consumer in their lessons.
Estes recalls a recent interaction between two of her students who spoke completely different native languages. By the end of the school year, the two of them were chatting it up over plant beds without any trouble, bonded by the work they enjoyed sharing. That’s just one scene in a countless string of empowering moments that were made possible by community investment in the school.
“They really do love to be involved in it in a hands-on way if possible,” Estes said. “If it weren’t for Jonathan, I never would have thought to take this turn in my teaching.”
Students aren’t the only ones who have benefitted from this change in culture. Teachers say they feel more valued at work because so many local entities want to support them and enable their brightest ideas for lessons. Estes says it’s one of the most stable and confident workplaces she’s ever been a part of, and the low rate of turnover speaks to the team’s cohesion.
“It’s certainly increased teacher morale,” Estes said. “Seeing the way the community comes in and supports us has made a huge difference in the building.”
Thull remembers a moment years ago, early in his time as a volunteer, when a little girl asked him why he wanted to help out at Moore. She said nobody cared about her and her classmates. The conversation weighed heavy on Thull because he could see how these students were comparing themselves to schools with more resources. They felt like they were seen as less worthy. Instilling a greater sense of worth in them is one of his greatest motivations as a volunteer.
Getting involved can be difficult. Everyone has real limits to their time, money, and energy that they have to consider. But Thull believes that everyone has something else in common, as well – a drive to make tomorrow better than today. For Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools students, a better tomorrow can start with a conversation with a teacher about what classroom supplies they need, or a call to a local paint shop to see if they would sponsor a new school mural, or a meeting with a nearby church about catering an appreciation lunch for school staff. A lot of good is possible when somebody takes the initiative and asks for help.
“Everybody wants change,” Thull said. “I think everybody feels desperate in this world right now. People want to grasp onto something, and our children are it. We can all agree we want our children to be healthy and smart. We want them to be our future.”