Grade 6 students from Naismith Memorial Public School are being praised after leading an accessibility project that brought new foot-activated step units to the John Levi Community Centre in Mississippi Mills.
The project began after students spoke with school office administrator Nicole Koscielski, who lives with dwarfism and shared her experiences with accessibility barriers. Motivated to create change, the class used the book Break the Mould by Sinead Burke to guide their research and real-world learning.
The students raised money through a basketball tournament to buy Step ‘n Wash units—Canadian-made foot-activated steps for sinks. Their presentation to town council led to more support, and the company donated three more units for public buildings.
Two of the devices are now installed at the community centre. The third is on its way to another town facility.
Mayor Christa Lowry and staff praised the students for their leadership and vision.