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Four civics projects done by Curtis eighth-grade students will compete in the Massachusetts state civics showcase at the DCU Center in Worcester Monday, June 1.
The four were selected May 20 from projects presented in the Curtis Middle School civics showcase. The showcase is like a science fair, but for civics. The student projects were judged by volunteers from the community.
The projects that will be participating in the Worcester showcase are:
- Biodegradable Utensils in SPS: Ava Coen, Nishan Koirala, Cole Peterson, Sawyer Riquier, Kimi Sampson, Arhaan Singh and Alishba Usman
This group is advocating for the adoption of biodegradable utensils as a replacement for traditional plastic utensils in SPS school cafeterias.
- Save Sudbury From the Dangers of Road Salt: Brie DiModica, Claire Hamel, Katarina Makrigiannis, Audrey McDonnell and Gia Murrell
This group wishes to convince the town to reduce the use of salt in anti-ice road treatments in order to improve environmental outcomes.
- Litter on the Roadsides: Audrey Gammons, Neel Parwani, Saesha Shetiya and Myles Sieger
This group aims to reduce the amount of litter by increasing the number of bottles returned via the Massachusetts bottle bill.
- Food Insecurity: AJ Agumeh, Sasha Romig and Lucia Schultz
This group aims to create a network to systematically limit food waste while also reducing food insecurity.
The Litter on the Roadsides group put article 1 on the warrant for Wednesday’s Special Town Meeting, asking the town to support pending legislation to expand the current bottle bill. They presented at town meeting, and their article passed.
Each year, eighth-grade students at Curtis Middle School engage in a Civic Action Project (CAP). This CAPstone experience requires students to identify a civic issue that exists in their local or state-wide community. They research their issue, identify a goal, and design an action plan. To implement the plan, students conduct research, gather data, and reach out to stakeholders and community members, among other strategies, according to Lauren Egizio, humanities curriculum coordinator for Sudbury Public Schools.
Feature Image: Student civics projects filled the gym, shown, and the cafeteria at Curtis Middle School for the annual civics showcase.
