Grade 9 students raise funds, spirits for teen struck by car in front of school

A group of Grade 9 students at a northwest Calgary junior high school isputting the finishing touches on a fundraiser for a fellow student who was hospitalized after being hit by a car late last year.

Ben Webster, 14, was struck at an intersection near H.D. Cartwright School on Nov. 20, after getting off a bus.

He was left with a traumatic brain injury, broken collar bone, three broken ribs and an eye injury.

Ben's parents, Emma and Paul Webster, say it's what happened immediately after the collisionthat stands out to them.

"One of the boys actually stayed with him," Emma explained.

"He called for the ambulance and the other one was able to run to the school and let the teachers know. That's how we were notified."

Ben's doing a lot better today, Paul said.

"He's doing really well. He's made a remarkable recovery. He has surpassed many of the doctor's expectations and now he's walking and talking, making a lot of progress," Paul said.

Grade 9 student Lauren Morton saw the collision.

"It was traumatizing to see. Everyone in my class were just super glad that he's OK and he's been recovering super quickly," Morton said.

She says the students decided to do something for their friend, Ben.

"In small groups of about four, the Grade 9 construction classes made dog houses. It turned from a small group activity to an entire Grade 9 project," she said.

Jeremy Staveley is the teacher who oversaw the project.

"It really came from the students," Staveley said.

"We were just doing this as a final project in Grade 9, we were looking at different designs."

He says the project, which is a fundraiser for the Alberta Children's Hospital, started small but grew and grew.

"They reached out to what was going on in the humanities class. They saw it as an opportunity to demonstrate aspects of character and citizenship. Let's make it about giving back to the children's hospital. As teachers, we were also inspired by them. We said, 'Let's make this happen.' We have 12 dog houses and a live auction on Thursday night which is pretty exciting and they've done a really remarkable job."

Meanwhile, Ben's dad Paul says the support the family has received is priceless.

"It helped us through some tough times," he said.

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