Sarah Haycox – The Power of A 4th Grader to Change the World

Fourth-grader, Sarah Haycox, from Shoreline, Washington, USA made it her mission to right a wrong.  And in doing so, she has shown the rest of the world what one young person, with passion, can do.

One day, Sarah was walking by an athletic field near her school.  She noticed a small memorial with the name Edwin Pratt on it.  Sarah saw that Mr. Pratt had only lived to be 38 years old and had died in 1969.  She wondered who he was and why there was a plaque for him.

After some quick research, she learned that he was a civil rights leader who had come to her area to help others find jobs, housing and education.  She also found out that he had been killed just because someone disagreed with what he was doing.

After doing more research, she came to learn about many good things he had done for others.  She felt that the small memorial was hardly big enough for a man who had so much impact on others.  So she decided to do something about it!

There was a new building going up across the street; a school for young kids.  She found out who was in charge of the building project and asked them if it could be named after Mr. Pratt.

After many months and meetings with town officials, her vision came to reality!  Almost 50 years after his death, Edwin Pratt’s life and impact will be celebrated as the name of the new school.

Most kids (and adults) simply had walked by the small memorial without ever thinking about who Mr. Pratt was.  But Sarah had the curiosity to learn more, the vision to imagine something better and the courage to pursue her idea.  Now, she has changed her community, the legacy of Mr. Pratt and has inspired many other young people around the world with her amazing actions.

Check out her story below and then think about something you could do to make the world around you a better place.