By Kathryn Reed

Irene Kaelin couldn’t control her students – and that was a good thing.

The Tahoe Valley Elementary School fifth-grade teacher turned the tragedy of the Haiti earthquake into a lesson plan. But it started with her students. They wanted to raise money to help those in need.

“What an incredible experience,” Kaelin told the Lake Tahoe Unified School District board Tuesday night. “The kids were so excited we had to run with it.”

The goal was to raise $421 – or $1 per student. A check was written this month for $1,265 to Doctors Without Borders.

Students Tianna Guerrero and Misty Parsh gave a short presentation to the board, too. They said talking in other classrooms and making announcements on the intercom were the hardest part of the project.

The students debated where to give the money. They did the research. They did the work.

Through it all, Kaelin was able to use the January tragedy in her reading, writing and social studies lessons.

Other schools in the district have also raised money for Haiti relief efforts, with a couple sites continuing to do so.