A learning experience for all

VANCEBORO — Nikki Staton organized a walkathon at West Craven High School on Thursday to raise money for the American Diabetes Association and to educate students about the disease.

The 18-year-old high school senior sold more than 400 tickets to students for $1 each. The tickets allowed the students to walk around the school’s gym during their fourth-period classes and stop at booths to get free healthy food and information on diabetes. Staton estimated that she raised about $600 for the association, but she feels that she also learned a few lessons herself in the process.

“I was scared that it wasn’t going to work out,” she said. “But it’s good to educate people about stuff that they don’t know — it’s good to reach out. Most people know someone with diabetes, and I didn’t know that many people in our school had diabetes or their parents had diabetes.”

Staton completed the project for the N.C. Graduation Project, a Craven County Schools graduation requirement in which students complete a research paper, a product related to the research, a portfolio and an oral presentation.

The project is not yet a requirement statewide after lawmakers passed a law this summer stating that the N.C. Board of Education cannot make the project a condition of graduation on or before July 1, 2011. Local school boards can still require students to complete a project.

“I think the biggest thing that has come from the projects is the fact that (the students are) more aware of their community, and then they get satisfaction from seeing how their efforts have benefited our school community as well as the community around us,” said Toni Adams, an English teacher and the school’s graduation project coordinator. “I don’t think it’s hard to get them attached to a project as long as it’s a subject that they’re interested in.”

Staton said she decided to focus on diabetes because several people in her family have the disease. Staton said she has learned through living with her grandmother, who has diabetes, how to check blood sugar levels and give insulin shots.

“It’s on both sides of my family, and I have aunts that have it, uncles that have it, cousins that have it,” she said. “It was something that we all could relate to and talk about.”

Staton said she decided to hold the walkathon to raise money for the association, but also to raise awareness in her school about diabetes.

 She passed out CDs and pamphlets about the disease that came from her project mentor, a doctor in Vanceboro who is also her grandmother’s and mother’s physician.

She said she wanted to have the students walk in the gym because diabetes can cause poor blood flow in a person’s legs and feet.

Staton teamed up with another student, Laurie Smith, whose project was on meal planning for people with diabetes.  She brought diabetic yogurt, cake, cookies and Jell-O to offer at booths during the walk.

“She brought the sweet category to let kids know you can eat sweets and be healthy,” Staton said. “We wanted kids to know that you can be diabetic and eat something good, but it’s all in moderation.”

Staton also called area businesses for donations. She got donated subs from Jersey Mike’s Subs, grilled chicken wraps from Chick-fil-A, a fruit platter from Wal-Mart, boxes of Colgate toothpaste from CarolinaEast Health System, and bottled water from Harris Teeter and Piggly Wiggly.

In addition, her grandmother helped her think of a slogan to put on bracelets to sell at lunch that would be cute, but not offensive. They came up with the slogan “Life is Sweet.”

On Thursday, the day of the walkathon, Staton said she received calls from her mom and grandmother to make sure she wasn’t too nervous about the project.

“They were calling me during the day, ‘I hope everything goes well.’ ” She said. “They were worried because they knew I was nervous.”

But when she told her grandma that there were about 400 students who came to the walkathon, she was exited.

“I told you it was going to work,” Staton said, recalling her grandmother’s words.

Laura Oleniacz can be reached at 252-635-5675 or at loleniacz@freedomenc.com.