Singer-Songwriter, School District Alum Brings Inspirational Message to Maple Glen Elementary

The kids weren’t buying it when their teacher, Mr. Dennis, told them that all along he was really Jesse Ruben. No, they weren’t having it. They wanted the real thing. And they got him.

When he was introduced, the crowd of third graders at Maple Glen Elementary School erupted in screams and applause for singer-songwriter Ruben – a 2004 graduate of Upper Dublin School District -- who inspired the school’s year-long community service theme, We Can, with his song of the same name.

The recent day-long event – which saw Ruben visiting each class before performing for the entire student body at the end of the day -- marks the culmination of 1000 Hours of Service, a school-wide community service program that featured, among other things, students running a lemonade stand to raise money for Run for Jenna, weeding and planting annuals around the school flag pole, participating in various food and clothing collection drives, and much more.

Originally intended simply to inspire people to start running, Ruben’s song We Can took on a life of its own – and evolved into The We Can Project – as kids across the country became inspired by the song and its message. Ruben has since visited schools across North America, helping kids come up with their own personal goals and ways to give back to the community.

Ruben has been to some 28 states and he’s always amazed at the extent to which the song’s message has resonated. “Being a kid right now is difficult,” he explained. “There’s so much pressure. The fact that the song inspires and encourages the kids, it inspires me.

“Traveling around the country to hear what’s important to the kids and their teachers, and to see the things they’re doing,” he continued, “it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”

Ruben mentioned that this particular visit was very special to him given that he was back in the school district he graduated from. “It’s a big day for me. Seeing the projects that these kids take on to give back to the community is always a treat – but this time it’s my community!”

During his visit, Ruben passed along some personal advice to the children -- such as that it’s okay to be quiet and shy because you can learn a lot from listening – before talking about running the marathon that was his inspiration for writing We Can. He had never run a marathon, and didn’t know if he’d really be able to, but his only goal was to finish.

“I wanted to write a song that gave people permission to do new things that might be scary for them at first,” Ruben explained, “because it’s not always about winning, it’s about doing something that is more challenging than you ever thought you could do.”

When he asked the kids what their I Can projects are – things they would like to do individually to challenge themselves – the answers were as diverse as you might expect from a group of third graders, ranging from riding an elephant, skydiving, and scuba diving to learning German, eating salmon, creating an app and learning to do a back flip.

Third grader Lindsay Cornbluth from Maple Glen said Ruben’s song inspired her to do, “a lot of things I didn’t think I would, like draw cool stuff and play different sports.”

When asked how they could contribute to their school, to the Maple Glen community and to the world – what Ruben refers to as We Can Projects – the kids answered with activities like shoveling a neighbor’s driveway, watering a grandparent’s flowers and volunteering to pick up litter or clean up a stream.

Maple Glen resident and third grader Jacob Reif said his favorite We Can activity was giving food and clothes to the homeless, which was echoed by Sophia Wolverton, also a third grader from Maple Glen.

Judging by how enthusiastically the kids participated when Ruben wrapped up his visit to this particular classroom with an “unplugged” sing-a-long of We Can – all the kids knew the words – it was clear how inspired they have been by the song.

Zach Rosenberg, a third grader from Ambler, said, “What I learned from him is it doesn’t matter if you get something wrong or if you’re quiet. You just have to listen to the person in your head telling you that you can do it. I always wanted to try out for the traveling soccer team. He inspired me to do it, and I made the team!”

“I feel like I could do anything.” Reif said. “It makes me so happy when he sings it.” A sentiment also shared by Wolverton, who said, “The song means happiness!”

It’s impossible to know for sure, but it sure seemed like they were speaking for the whole class.