The eighth graders at Springs School have been researching social injustice.
Gabriela Alvarado, for example, is asking why the American government doesn’t put more attention and time into making food regulations and safety more impactful for consumers. She chose the topic after learning that many Americans are hospitalized and have even died because of eating contaminated food that was supposedly safe. For her, a documentary about how modern day Americans are being negatively impacted by the food they eat simply because they aren’t being taught to be more careful with it was a real eye opener. “People should take a stand and advocate for themselves about the dark lies food industries are telling,” Gabriela said.
Rayan Kastrati’s project is about garbage in the ocean, specifically in the area referred to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Rayan picked this topic because he was very concerned about the health of our oceans. “The amount of microplastics entering our oceans each day and killing the marine life that thrive in the ocean is occurring at a very alarming rate, and it needs to end now,” he said.
These are just two of the many different topics for a speech project in Emily O’Reilly’s English classes. After she reviews the speeches, she will select the “elite eight” who will compete against other schools. What’s in it for her students? The top students will be excused from taking the English final at the end of the school year “because students who make it to this level will need to spend a lot of time making revisions,” Ms. O’Reilly said. This project is due March 24, and students will be making presentations between March 25 and March 28.
By Gabriela Alvarado and Rayan Kastrati, 8th grade