MINOT – They are eighth-graders who want the state to stop TV ads aimed at children. They want their town to celebrate more often and erect a war memorial to fallen soldiers. They want their school to add more space and change its policy on sports.
And they are in Augusta today to help get it all done.
For the past eight weeks, 38 Minot Consolidated School eighth-graders have worked on 10 public policy initiatives as part of their social studies class. In small groups, they decided to take on the school, the town or the state to change the way things are done.
Five groups will present their work to legislators and competition judges during a public policy and service learning showcase in the state capital. They hope to win a spot at a national competition while garnering some attention for their causes.
“It’s a good way, if you want something changed in your school, to get something done,” said 13-year-old Savannah Albert.
For the past two months, Albert and her group have worked to establish a townwide celebration. They envision a family-friendly Saturday festival complete with rides, games and prizes.
“Because this town really has nothing. There’s nothing to do in it,” said 14-year-old Tiffany LaRochelle.
Her classmates have another way to keep the town’s youngest folks busy. They want to change the school’s sports eligibility policy so more students can play.
“We realized a lot of the teams didn’t have many kids on them because they couldn’t try out because they weren’t eligible,” said Amanda Poliquin, 14.
Current school policy forbids students from playing sports if they are missing two or more assignments. Students want that upped to five missing assignments, with two free passes a season. They also want behavior factored in so unruly students can be suspended from the team.
Some of the eighth-graders were discouraged when they were unsuccessful in a similar project last year – getting the school to change its “no gum” policy. They hope the extra work they’ve put in this year, including discussions with officials and an extensive survey of students and teachers, will help.
“This year we actually have a good chance,” said Whitney Stone, 13.
The Minot students will present their projects with 15 other service learning groups in Augusta today. The presentations likely won’t make or break their causes. Some of the eighth-graders will still have to raise money. Others still need to get local officials to back their plans.
But they hold out hope.
Said Stone, “We can leave a mark at the school.”
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