Proud Denny International Middle School educator Colin Slingsby shared this story about students putting civics into action he described as “really inspiring”:
At Denny International Middle School, a student-created and -led climate action group called Protect Our Tomorrow recently completed a months-long process of educating students and encouraging them to take civic action on climate issues that are important to them.
The group, created by 8th grader Nathalie Latterell, organized and planned an introductory lesson for students at all grade levels. The student group then coordinated with teachers to deliver the entire lesson themselves. 8th graders Chloe Bonnici, Mia Reed, Aurora Sparks, Greta Gardner, Elsa Elton, Angel Alvarez Martinez, and Ellison Taylor all invested significantly in the project.
Following the lesson, the Protect Our Tomorrow group provided students with further research and provided options for a letter writing campaign connected with varying climate issues each individual student found important. Each student wrote their own letter to a different state or national government official, and the group then reviewed and organized the letters to be sent. Almost every student at Denny in every grade submitted a letter.
Demands ranged from the push for electric school busses, to increasing federal funding and targeted focus on certain issues, to protecting green spaces.
The group’s goal was to both raise awareness and knowledge amongst the student body at Denny, as well as increase attention on climate issues at the school district, local, and national government levels.
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