Tears glistened in at least a few teenage eyes as high school students silently watched a video depicting the challenges faced each day by the daughter of one of their teachers.

For their senior project, six Century High School students finished an effort started by students who graduated last year to start a Sparrow Club and adopt two-year-old Keira Conner as their first Sparrow. The students announced a campaign to help Keira at an all-school assembly Friday, Dec. 12.

Keira is the daughter of Century math teacher and soccer coach Jeremy Conner and his wife, Alex Conner. Most of the students involved have taken one of Jeremy's classes or played on a team he coached.

Diagnosed when she was five months old with Congenital Disorder of Glycosylation, a rare metabolic disorder, Keira is deaf, prone to seizures, has poor vision and low liver function, and has weak muscle tone that makes it difficult for her to sit, walk or crawl independently, Alex said. Keira has a cochlear implant in one ear and her parents hope she can get another soon, they said.

Seniors last year found out about Keira and wanted to do something to help her, but ran out of time before they graduated. So those students found friends who were willing to see the project through, Jeremy said.

Jazmin Miranda is one of those friends. She knows Jeremy as her soccer coach and was happy to help continue the work her previous teammates had started, she said.

The kickoff for Keira's campaign kept getting pushed back, said senior Britania Cortez. But now that it's over, she is even more motivated to start helping Keira more.

During Friday's assembly, Oregon Sparrow Club director Matt Sampson told students the story of the first Sparrow in 1995, a boy named Michael Leeland who had leukemia. Like Keira, Leeland was the child of a teacher, and one of his father's students initiated an effort to help him.

When Sampson finished telling the story, Leeland appeared to tell students what the generosity of others had meant to him.

Students can donate both money and time to help Sparrows. During the assembly, Sampson stressed that students don't need to have much in order to make a difference.

Through the national Sparrow Club, schools get community service vouchers to distribute to students who want to help their Sparrow. Each hour of community service, up to 256 hours for a given school, can earn $10. Century's club is also sponsored by Mission Salt & Light.

The Conner family expressed gratitude for the support from students and others. Making sure Keira gets the treatment and tools she needs and coordinating appointments with more than a dozen specialists isn't always easy, Alex said.

"It has definitely put life into a different perspective for us," Alex said.

But to have his students rally around him, especially when he teaches such an unpopular subject, felt great, Jeremy said.

-- Hannah Leone | @HannahMLeone