Ethan Kuhn was recognized with the Kendall Superintendent’s Award of Excellence after displaying leadership and inspiration by raising enough money to purchase a saxophone for classmate and friend, Mackenzie Jenks. Provided photoAt the Kendall Elementary Awards Assembly held June 15 the Superintendent’s Award of Excellence was awarded for the first time.
Ethan Kuhn, a third-grade student, was recognized in front of Kendall Elementary students, teachers, staff and administrators, as well as Kendall families and community members, for demonstrating leadership and inspiration in an academic setting. But Kuhn wasn’t the only recipient of something special. His classmate and friend, Mackenzie Jenks, received a saxophone thanks to Kuhn’s hard work and thoughtfulness.
Kuhn spent the past three weeks raising money and searching for the best deal on a saxophone. While Kuhn has no intention to play the brass instrument in the fourth-grade band next year, Jenks hoped to. Due to family circumstances, it was possible Jenks and her family wouldn’t be able to purchase a saxophone. Once Kuhn got wind of this, he sprang into action.
Kuhn came up with the idea for a bottle drive and approached his mother for help organizing the collection.
“When he told me what he wanted to do and why, I was speechless and then so proud,” said Sharon Kuhn. “He really put a lot of work into this and it was all his idea.”
Ethan’s efforts didn’t end with just raising the money; he wanted to find the best deal on a saxophone. Ethan hopped onto the computer, went to an internet sales site and wrote down a list of active listings for saxophones.
Sharon spread the word around the Kendall community in order to help fill the bin in front of their house with as many bottles and cans as possible. Kuhn even posted on social network sites and notified the school of her son’s goal. Demonstrating a similar urge to go above and beyond like her son, Sharon even volunteered to pick up donations if need be. Each day, Ethan and Sharon would gather and cash in the returnables.
Even with many community members and classmates helping to ascertain Ethan’s goal and help her, Jenks was unaware of what exactly the bottle drive was for. According to her mother, Mary Jo, Mackenzie thought it was a fundraiser for the music department.
“While I was chaperoning a school field trip to a Red Wings game a few weeks ago, Sharon told me what Ethan was working on,” said Mary Jo. “It was kept a secret from Mackenzie until just a few days ago.”
The donations accumulated and, in just a matter of weeks, Kuhn had raised $600 and was ready to purchase the saxophone. Echo Tone Music, a music store based in Rochester, heard of Kuhn’s hard work and contacted Sharon to offer a discounted price on a Yamaha saxophone and reeds.
On top of securing an instrument for Mackenzie, the Kuhns were able to get two additional instruments that were donated to the Kendall Elementary Music Department. On top of being friends, Kuhn and Jenks can now look forward to being band-mates in the fall as well. Kuhn will play the flute alongside Mackenzie, the newest recipient of a saxophone.
