Adam Schmidt loves sports.
“If I had to give a percentage, at least 25% of my life is sports,” said the Granville Middle School student.
Schmidt, who is currently in eighth grade, said most of the friends he has made over the years have come through sports. He grew up playing and coaching alongside his three brothers and his parents.
And now he's using sport to give back to his community through In The Zone, a project developed for GMS' Experiential Learner Mastermind course.
This elective course, led by English teacher James Browder, is designed to inspire students to better their communities.
“I asked the superintendent, 'Let's have an entire class around this, telling kids that what they care about is important, and then having them become changemakers. What if I just gave myself time and space in my day to do that?'” Browder said. “And that was insane. I mean, it was pretty cool.”
Schmidt's project, In The Zone, is “basically a sports goodwill effort,” he explained. He built a shed in Granville's Raccoon Valley Park that serves as a shared storage space for sports equipment. Residents who have unused or old sports equipment can donate it to the warehouse, and those who cannot afford to buy new sports equipment (sports can be inaccessible and cost-prohibitive for low-income households) ), you can use it as needed. .
“Everything I got, I had to pass it on to all my siblings, and most of it was still in very good condition,” Schmidt said. “So I thought, if most families with two kids have a device that they've only used twice and is still in very good condition, why not? Why can't other people use it for free? Why pay $300 for a bat you'll only use for a year?”
The shed was once located on top of a building for transplanting toilets, but had been vacant for more than 20 years. When Schmidt first arrived, it was essentially a cube with one side missing.
“We had to build the walls, install the doors, then build the shelves and install the furniture inside,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt needed additional funding to make his idea a reality, so he applied for a grant from the Michael Dean Gibbs Foundation. Former Granville resident Michael Dean Gibbs passed away in 2018 from Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as ALS or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and his family established a foundation in his honor. The family also includes Mariah Gibbs, Michael's sister-in-law and Schmidt's kindergarten teacher.
Spring turned into summer, and Schmidt still hadn't received his grant. Class was over, but his mind was still on the project. Schmidt spent the summer on Zoom calls with foundations to pitch his plan.
“I had never been part of something like that before, so I was definitely nervous,” Schmidt said. “Mr. Browder said to me, “Hey, class is over.'' If you want to cut it off here, you can cut it off.’ But I said no. And, I mean, here we are. ”
Schmidt received a $1,500 grant from the foundation in the fall of 2023 and immediately began construction. Some of the money went toward construction costs, but much of it went toward purchasing sporting equipment for the shed.
Schmidt said he purchased some equipment, but most of the equipment was provided by local donors, including baseball gloves, bats, helmets, shin guards and cleats.
In his grant proposal, Schmidt promised to maintain the cabin, keep it stocked and clean until he graduates from high school in 2028. And, hopefully, one of his younger brothers will take over running the cabin after that, Schmidt said.
Schmidt has already been in talks with the Granville Recreation District, and now plans to ask all Licking County recreation districts to help promote the project.
“My favorite part is seeing how it goes from just an idea to a warehouse full of equipment that will serve the community,” Schmidt said. “A community willing to donate all their hard-earned money to help others play sports.”
Browder worked with Schmidt to develop the project and bring it from the idea stage in the classroom to reality.
“There's a clip of his Zoom call that I recorded, where he's talking to the Michael Dean Gibbs Foundation, and he says, 'I want to help kids who can't go out and play the sports that I can.' I can’t imagine being there.’ They play and love so much just because they don’t have access to the tools,” Browder said. “When we send kids out into the world and give them the opportunity and space to do something about something they care about, I want them to have those moments.”
Browder's Experiential Learner Mastermind classes help students develop projects throughout Licking County and encourage students to approach problems with curiosity, creativity, philanthropy, and entrepreneurship. .
As a result of this class, Granville Middle School students developed a plant-based journal made entirely from recycled materials and launched a healthy dog treat business that is available free to several restaurants in Granville. We helped arrange for menstrual products where possible.
Emmett Anderson writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University's Journalism Program. The organization is funded by the Mellon Foundation and donations from readers.
