Last month, eighth graders at the Marblehead Community Charter Public School pitched community service learning projects to a panel of judges and fielded questions about their plans. The school calls it “Shark Week,” inspired by the TV show “Shark Tank,” where entrepreneurs pitch business ideas to investors.
The Current had the honor of sitting on a panel of judges.
The projects tackled a range of pressing local issues, including food insecurity, teen mental health, contamination in Redd’s Pond, installing solar panels at MCCPS, animal testing and welfare, laundry and hygiene access for students without resources at home, and using UV light to treat water contamination at King’s Beach.
Earlier in the school year, students worked together to identify challenges in their communities, research the impact of those challenges and design projects to address them. Students will spend the rest of the school year implementing their proposals.
“Community Service Learning is a program that is at the heart of our school’s mission,” said eighth-grade teacher Nick Santoro. “We offer our students the opportunity to address an issue that is meaningful to them and empower them with the tools and support they need to to make an impact on that issue.”
He added, “Each of them will enter high school equipped with the experience of a project manager and the passion of an activist, enabling them to be self determined and effective members of whichever community they join.”
Among the projects:
Charlie Nothnagel, focusing on food insecurity in his hometown of Swampscott, is developing a directory of community food resources to connect residents with nutritious options.
Molly Koelewyn is creating an online resource about neurodivergency that young people can use themselves and share with others who have questions.
Brailhaylz Vasques is developing a website to connect low-income residents with affordable mental health resources.
Addeline Bryan and Chiara Dalgleish are gathering information about exotic animals kept as pets and creating materials to help owners identify options for rehoming animals that become too large or unmanageable.
Colin Paradise, Mateo Garcia and Leonedys Pena are developing a plan to address contamination in Redd’s Pond.
The students will present summaries of their projects — and their impact — at the end of the school year.
