A wall in Palliser Heights Elementary School, which features the many donations the school received to go towards building a school in Kenya

They are building more than a school.

For students at Palliser Heights Elementary School in Moose Jaw, who have raised enough money to help build a school in Kenya, they're also building connections with the students that will benefit from the institution, as well as with the community it will be in.

After attending WE Day in Saskatoon last November, grade 7 and 8 Palliser Heights students were inspired to create change and help those in less fortunate areas of the world thrive.

Andrew Gallagher, French Immersion teacher at Palliser Heights Elementary School, and the students he calls "future world changers" who attended WE Day, decided to challenge themselves and take on the task of raising a sizable amount of money to build a school in Africa.

"We thought that it would be a challenge if we had a target to aim for, rather than thinking, 'let's see how much we raise'," said Gallagher.

Not only did they hit their target of $10,000, they completely surpassed it by raising $15,950 and in only 30 days.

One of the fundraiser was a bake sale put together by a grade 8 student that pulled in over $450. Gallagher says that he has been blown away by the school and community support.

Gallagher says that construction for the school will start as soon as they get the money to Free The Children, the organization that funds WE Day, and that as the school gets built, regular updates will be sent back to the students at Palliser Heights on the construction and growth of the school.

$10,000 will go towards the construction of the school, and the remaining amount will go towards purchasing 119 goats that will help empower women in their community.

To keep up with the giving back, the students will pay it forward in their own community, and try to bring in as much food as they can for the Moose Jaw Food Bank.