By FRED KRONER
Ella Edwards hasn’t had much to cheer about in 2020, but as the calendar year is nearing an end, others are finding reasons to cheer for the Mahomet-Seymour High School freshman.
She is carrying on a family tradition of giving, and lifting the spirits of others even during a time when she has found trouble coping with the on-line learning platform that became prevalent as COVID-19 ran rampant throughout the nation.
“Things flipped upside down out of nowhere,” Edwards said. “Remote learning has been really, really tough.
“I’m at a computer screen 10 to 12 hours a day, no socialization outside of my family, pretty much alone doing schoolwork. It has been so discouraging from Day 1.
“It’s hard to sit there 12 hours straight. That’s not something I’m interested in doing. Sitting at a Chromebook all day made me lose my motivation to do things and affected my work ethic.”
The solution was as close as the family’s kitchen.
The 14-year-old Edwards has taken time out of her days to pursue one of her passions.
“I like to bake,” she said, “so I bake a lot.”
She doesn’t look at her time by the oven and see dollar signs.
Instead, Edwards sees the opportunity to share with others. It’s something her parents, Rachael and Ben Edwards, have emphasized for years with all four of their children.
“We as a family make sure to teach our kiddos the important things in life,” Rachael Edwards said. “Treat others with the most respect and always, always give back.
“Your smile or gesture could change someone’s life. Just always find it in your heart to put others above your own needs or wants.”
This month, Ella Edwards has been making individual hot chocolate bombs. In the first two weeks of December, she has finished 50.
The treat is not something that can be completed in a matter of minutes.
“They are so delicate,” she said. “They take about an hour each. Sometimes one breaks, and you have to reset it.
“To do them faster, I do them in batches. I have molds of three.”
The process requires intricate precision work.
“She hand-shaves the chocolate,” Rachael Edwards said, “and hand paints six layers of chocolate into each ball.”
The concoction, Ella Edwards said, is “basically a chocolate shell with hot chocolate mix and mini marshmallows. I also pipe the opposite color chocolate on the top, and sprinkle peppermint bits.”
It took time for Edwards to be satisfied with the end result.
“I’d made them three times and couldn’t get them right,” she said, “but the fourth time I did.”
As she was helping others – on Tuesday a batch of her hot chocolate bombs, boxed individually, were delivered to the M-S school nurses and staff – Edwards discovered she was also benefiting herself.
“Recently I started this project and that’s when my grades started to pick up and I put myself in gear,” she said, “after giving myself some needed time and letting myself relax.
“This gives me a boost. It helps me find motivation to get out of bed and get moving.”
Rachael Edwards has seen her oldest daughter’s frustration with schooling and is impressed by how she has decided not to let it affect her demeanor.
“Even through these trials, she can still do good gestures, be kind and show positivity that can change someone’s day,” Rachael Edwards said. “Virtual learning has been so difficult for her and she feels so defeated.”
There is an important lesson, Rachael Edwards said, that goes beyond the classroom and one which she has shared with her teen-ager.
“I want her to know that what she does isn’t going unnoticed,” she said. “What you do in your day-to-day life makes an impact on the world. You being you speaks volumes.”
Ella Edwards had no hesitancy in donating her baked goods.
“We love to give back,” she said. “So many people have it way, way worse.
“Holidays can be a tough time for people, and this year, it’s even harder. I don’t want anyone to feel alone or unappreciated.”
School work is not the only obstacle the Edwards family has had to contend with this year. Since 2013, they have dressed in costume and volunteered as bellringers for the Salvation Army during the Christmas holiday season.
“We reached out, but they only allow one person (at a time) and it’s something we all do together,” Rachael Edwards said. “That’s another bummer that 2020 has thrown at us.”
While Ella Edwards has been described as an exemplary role model, she said it didn’t start with her. Nor will it end with her.
“My parents are good role models for us,” she said. “They’ve taught us to give back.”
Her siblings, fifth-grade Layla, fourth-grade Lucy and 4-year-old Easton are following suit.
“They are so young,” Ella Edwards said, “but they are good people on their own.”
When the calendar year flips in a couple of weeks, Ella Edwards hopes to find something to literally cheer about as the winter progresses.
She was selected to be a freshman cheerleader, but athletic high school athletic competitions throughout the state have gotten a delayed start for the school year because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. She has yet to make her high school debut on the sidelines.
“I was so excited to cheer at football games,” she said. “I really hope we can cheer in the second semester.
“I am so ready for a new semester and a fresh start. It will be like the beginning of the (school) year all over again.”
The cheerleading tryouts were a memorable part of the summer for Edwards.
“The auditions were in-person, 100 percent COVID safe,” Ella Edwards said. “We were tested for symptoms, wore masks the whole time and did auditions more than 6 feet apart in the high school gym.”
Though Rachael Edwards acknowledges that she is biased, she said Ella is, “literally the dream daughter, sister and friend anyone could ever want. We could all be a little more like Ella.
“At 14, she makes us super proud.”
