Peeples students bring their doughnut designs to life

The 4th graders at Peeples Elementary recently took part in a writing project with a sweet reward. 

As part of their “Design a Doughnut” assignment, students were tasked with designing a new confection for HERO Doughnuts & Buns and writing a persuasive piece explaining why their creation should be added to the menu. 

The project was designed for students in the classes of Shaylen Dixon, Brandi Byrd, Andi McPeak, Tabatha Schwanbeck, and Noel Strain to learn that writing is relevant in the real world. 

“In an attempt to bring the project to life, we contacted the owners of HERO Doughnuts & Buns in Atlanta to see if they would be willing to donate donuts/toppings so that the kids could actually create their donuts. The owner happens to be a parent of a 4th grader at Peeples, and they were more than willing to help,” said teacher Shaylen Dixon. “The students learned that creativity is valued outside of the classroom walls. They learned how to defend their thinking, persevere when their idea didn't work, and they are now learning the value of writing thank you letters when someone does something kind for you.”

HERO donated more than 150 doughnuts and enough supplies to cover all the toppings the students could possibly dream up. 

“It was amazing! The kids squealed with excitement when they realized they were going to be able to bring their idea to life,” said Dixon. “They loved seeing that there was purpose to their work, that their work was relevant in the real world, that they could have ownership over what was created, that they had endless creativity, and they felt so loved when they heard everything was donated. It was an amazing experience!”