Do Hard Things, a book by Alex and Brett Harris, encourages adolescents to do the unusual. It asks teens to do something that is out of their comfort zone, something that goes beyond what's expected, something that is too big to do alone, something that doesn't pay off immediately, something that takes a stand against the crowd.

Larned High School English teacher Janet Fleske requires that her college-bound English students complete a "Do Hard Things" project. She uses the project to encourage character, competence, and collaboration among her English students. The project's written summary helps meet the state's requirement for reflective writing.

Fleske's students have designed projects such as a 9-11 remembrance ceremony around the county courthouse flagpole, a four-week dance clinic for elementary girls followed by a performance at a high school football game, doing 100 acts of kindness, and adopting a grandparent at the local assisted living center.

Michael Wysong, a multi-talented arts-oriented junior, read that the Kansas Arts Commission was losing its funding. He decided that even though his efforts would not make up for the hundreds of thousands of dollars lost, he would do what he could to help fund the arts in Kansas. His "Do Hard Things" project would be a fundraiser for the Kansas Arts Commission. During the organizing phase, he learned that the KAC had been totally "de-funded" and was essentially defunct. Kansas Citizens for the Arts, whose mission statement declares that it "works to build support for the arts among the public, community leaders, and elected officials," seemed to be the right organization for which to raise funds as government-funded programs were shifting.

Wysong enlisted the help of his music teachers, his mother, his festival solo accompanist, and the sports announcer for Larned High, the Larned Recreation Commission, the Larned Music Club, and all his music and drama friends. On a busy Sunday afternoon, with at least two other community events happening in Larned, Wysong and friends presented an hour and a half of music and skits to an audience of about 35 people. Donations for Kansas Citizens for the Arts were gladly accepted, but not required. When it was over, Wysong's "Do Hard Things" project netted over $200.

On the negative side, Wysong said he never could get arts people to answer his emails. Only Robert Lee, Kansan Music Advocate extraordinaire, suggested by Wysong's band director, did answer his emails and helped the project take shape. Wysong said he didn't initially understand the magnitude of trying to accomplish this kind of a project, and was grateful for the help from so many. On the positive side, Wysong said he learned how to be a spokesperson for a cause to which he is deeply committed; he learned how "to get the word out."

Yes, Wysong got an A on all parts of his reflective paper, which was the only part of the project that was actually graded. He also gained tremendous respect from students and adults alike for doing what most of us take for granted. The funds are really just a drop in the bucket, but from drops come puddles, from puddles ponds, and from ponds lakes. Kansas may be a dry state at times, but if we all follow Wysong's example and pitch in where we can, the arts will remain alive and well in Kansas.

Sources:

Janet Fleske,

Diana Webster,

Michael Wysong,

Kansas Citizens for the Arts
www.kansasarts.org

Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations. Alex Harris, Brett Harris, 2008, Multnomah Publishers, Inc.