The Veterans School Civics Expo on Friday included fresh, new proposals that just might make the world a better place.
Eighth graders presented about 75 civics projects in the Vets gym to teachers, parents and community members.
“They had the autonomy to work on their own, planning and developing real-world skills,” said Coby Carlucci, Vets civics teacher.
The students identified and researched a problem they wanted to fix, developed an action plan and then presented their results.
The students tackled topics like mental health, gun control, conservation, animal cruelty, elderly loneliness, underage drinking, vaping and reproductive healthcare.
Students Alex Gauvia, Daniel Le and Duncan Crawford researched the dangerous effects of peer pressure and underage drinking.
“It can slow your brain development,” Crawford said.
They created an in-depth slideshow with important information for kids.
Makayla Ekechukwu, Sophia Lees, Hannah Murray and Macy Ladouceur hoped to raise awareness about overpopulated animal shelters.
“At no-kill shelters, there are long lists of dogs who need to be adopted,” said Lees.
The girls did their research, worked with local shelters and created a website and TikTok videos spotlighting animals up for adoption, hoping to attract new owners.
Students Reilly Leonard and Ella Clery created Kindness Clips (clothespins with supportive messages written on them) that kids could take down from a string and attach to friends’ backpacks. Messages on the clips include “You are so loved” and “I love your outfit.”
Ronan McKiernan studied the benefits of unplugging from devices and spending more time outside. He created a survey for students, encouraging them to log their time outside and the impact on their mood. The project was called, “Touch Grass.”
Bereket Depow presented a slideshow on the importance of sleep for teenagers and included a survey he gave to his peers about how much sleep they get.
Kiley Carr and Annie Berman researched the harmful effects of vaping and produced a video featuring teachers and students talking about why kids shouldn’t vape.
Another group of girls created a survey to learn how their peers felt about access to safe reproductive care, including abortions. Stella McLaughlin, Ava Barniste and Audrey Brickley created flyers with a QR code leading to the survey and posted the results on a website.
The students worked on their projects for several months and seemed proud to share them with the community as they graduate from middle school and head to high school in the fall.
