Class #1: Policy Debate, Tenth - Twelfth Grades
These students focused on East High School as their community, with a goal of impacting district policy as well, since their research revealed that that was one way to bring about change.
Students brought in the vice principal at East High to discuss student rights. Conversation focused on hat policy. Students were required to read and create questions on the DPS policy. They wrote and administered a survey. Results were compiled and it revealed that students favored not having a hat policy. Interviews with teachers and administrators also showed that they would generally approve not enforcing the hat policy.
The group created a presentation for the school board and scheduled time to present. They incorporated research on rights of a student in class and cases where there had to be a balance between student rights and keeping the school safe. They presented to the Denver School Board and according to Ms. Trotsky, "it was one of the most amazing experiences" she had had as a teacher.
Class #2: Individual Events, Ninth - Eleventh Grades
This class chose sex education as their topic. They saw the lack of enough education regarding sex - and the fact that what education is out there is not "truthful" - as a huge issue among young people. i
Many were "frustrated about the abundance of abstinence -nly sex education and the lack of comprehensive programs." Another reason they chose this issue, it that it is one of the most important aspects of both educating people about sex and preventing STDs and AIDS.
The students brought in the nurse at East High school to give a presentation on what the role of the school/nurse is in sex education. After gathering information, the class decided to divide into four different groups, taking on one project each. The projects were:
- Community Education: handing out information and condoms on the 16th Street Mall.
- Fundraising: holding a bake sale to raise money to donate to a non-profit that distributes information on STDs, AIDS, abstinence and protection.
- Poster Campaign
- Video
The main challenges to project success were: lack of time; the context of doing the project within a speech class; and getting condoms donated.
Nonetheless, students felt the experience was a success. Reflected one student, "I think I have been influenced by this project because it shows me how to make a change and how we can do it. I was very surprised at how much kids like us can accomplish with so little time."
Class #3: Debate
Though this group started late, they did amazing work. They decided to focus on the situation in Dafur as their project. They hosted a speaker from the Rocky Mountain Survivor Center, a presentation the students really enjoyed - they were very engaged and asked thoughtful questions. They decided to raise awareness of the issue by hanging banners. They also made posters that had pictures of the violence happening in Dafur. They posted these along the street in front of the school to raise awareness. The students also succeeded in having an editorial in the Denver Post.