DOWAGIAC — In between lessons about enunciation and presence, Dowagiac Union High School English instructor Dustin Cornelius recently shared a concept with his speech students that is near and dear to his heart: making a difference in the lives of others.

Last week, the juniors and seniors taking his course assembled inside the high school media center, where they pitched several ideas they had recently devised to improve the school — and the Dowagiac community — to several senior administrators, including members of the board of education and Superintendent Paul Hartsig.

Their pitches included everything from creating a “Chieftain’s Closet,” which impoverished students could use to anonymously receive free clothes, to starting an afterschool Dungeons and Dragons club, where classmates can come together to make new friends through the classic tabletop game.

Cornelius’ students were inspired to do something to make Dowagiac a better place after the instructor had his class watch the 2000 film “Pay It Forward,” about a 12-year-old boy who launches a movement to give back to his neighbors, earlier this year. After viewing the film, Cornelius asked his students to break into groups and come up with their own ideas that would benefit their classmates, neighbors and people throughout the area.

Cornelius said he had done a previous project with one of his classes five years ago. Some of his students came up with the idea of creating a suicide prevention program, which the entire classroom — and eventually, much of the school — got involved with launching and spreading, Cornelius said.

“[The students] may be young, but they still have the power, ability and capability to reach people,” Cornelius said.

One of Cornelius’ students, senior Lilly Craft, came up with the idea of creating a support group for classmates who are facing issues with bullying at school. Craft proposed that the school organize daily 30-minute meetings during lunch time, where bullied students could stop in and share their experiences with others.

The senior said she came up with the idea based on her experiences at her former school, which did not have any kind of support system for children dealing with bullying.

Craft said she had a lot of fun putting together her presentation. Though she was nervous sharing her idea with the panel last week, the student said she received a lot of compliments on her idea and her delivery of it afterwards.

“I felt like I learned a lot through putting together my presentation,” Craft said. “Plus, it’s neat to come up with an idea that could get put into action.”

After the students return from winter break, the class will decide which of the ideas they want to implement, based on feedback from the panelists and a classwide vote, as well as based on how feasible the idea is to turn into reality, Cornelius said.

“I want [my students] to understand that they don’t have to sit on the sidelines and wait for someone else to do something,” he said. “They can get out there and make a difference.”