By Alex T. Smith
At the Dayton Regional STEM School,
the staff and teachers sincerely believe that students have the power to make a
difference in the lives of others in our community. Perhaps one of the projects
that exemplifies this truth the most is just beginning to heat up, and it’s
causing a rippling affect that transcends both traditional learning and typical
classroom schedules to bring a message of health to citizens in the Miami
Valley and beyond.
Right now the 10th
grade students are in the thick of the annual Cancer Project. This is an
integrated project between Ms. Tash’s Wellness and Fitness class, and Ms.
Reid’s Language Arts class, where students collaborate with one another to
educate the general public about various behavioral changes they can make to decrease
their risk of developing cancer. The finished product will be a video-based Public
Service Announcement (PSA) that will educate people about health risks
associated with developing specific types of cancer. This was all modeled after
a “Dear 16 year old me” PSA on skin cancer.
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| A cancer project group brainstorming ideas for their script during Ms. Tash's Health and Wellness class. |
The project first began in
early February when the sophomores gathered information on a few types of
cancer. They did research on what each cancer was like and what affects it has
on the body. They learned how the cancer itself is developed and what screenings
or early detection methods can identify it. In Language Arts they analyzed
“Dear 16 year old me” letters.
As groups were being decided,
each child submitted their first choice and they were then assigned to a group
focusing on one type of cancer. Cancer types such as colon, breast, lung, skin,
and testicular were chosen because the incidences of these cancers can be
reduced by changing certain behaviors, and they have a high survival rate when discovered
through early detection. For example,
the chances of developing lung cancer is greatly lessened by avoiding tobacco
smoke, and wearing sunscreen when in intense sunlight can reduce the risk of
skin cancer. Both of these cancers also have a high survival rate when caught
with early detection methods.
Students then wrote a letter to
someone in their life that fits their PSA’s target audience to explain how they
can change behaviors in their lives to prevent cancer or get screenings to
detect it.
In Ms. Reid’s Language Arts
class, students focused on writing compelling sentences and using strategies
that make their letters more persuasive, like using humor or emotions to convey
a point. Learning these strategies allowed the students to make their letters
more relatable to the recipient rather than just clinical.
In years past, some pretty remarkable
outcomes have arisen when students have chosen to send these letters to their
family members. In most cases, this has led to some powerful moments for the student
and their family. Last year, at least one family member was inspired by what
their student wrote to make the commitment to give up smoking.
The next step was for each
group to write a script for their PSA. After a script is drafted and revised,
each group member has a role in the video-making process. The students have
been fortunate to have the assistance of Henry Chafin, a local video artist who
creates commercials for local companies. Mr. Chafin is demonstrating important video
creation skills and teaching students why each group member’s role is important
for making a successful video.
The students are in the process
of filming their Public Service Announcement in a makeshift recording studio,
set up with professional lights and sound equipment. The rest of the project
will involve the students using online editing software to add music and trim
the videos to fit the 1-3 minute length required by the rubric.
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| Students rehearsing their lines and preparing their shots for their PSAs. |
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| Henry Chafin (left) helps direct students during filming of their PSAs. |
Mr. Chafin isn’t the only
community member involved in the project. Kettering Cancer Care has generously
donated $2,000 for this project to educate the public about how to be
responsible for reducing their risk of developing cancer. Another interesting
development has been the changing of the 10th grade schedule so that
students can be in their cancer project groups for both language arts and
fitness class. This has required a tremendous amount of effort and cooperation
on all of the parts of the 10th grade teaching team and the school
administration. Because of the remarkable teachers and general uniqueness of our
school, we have a great amount of flexibility for changing around our schedules
in a way that no other school could. Both teachers and students have had to
work together to adapt to this new schedule, but over the duration of this six
week project, the concessions have more than payed off.
Huthayfa Usman, a current 10th
grader, had this to say when asked about the schedule change: “I definitely
think this helps make this [Cancer] project more convenient because it gives us
all a chance to collaborate without hunting people down.”
I interviewed Ms. Tash about
what she wanted her students to take away from this project. She said,” I want
them to see that they can help other people improve their health. Advocating
for the health of others is a big part of my class, and I want them to see that
they have the power to positively impact other people’s lives. To help inspire
someone to change their life is a powerful thing. A lot of times a lot of
students don’t understand how powerful their abilities to inspire others truly
are.”
Given the fact that students in
past years have been able to motivate their loved ones to quit smoking and make
other health related behavioral changes, it seems that this goal has definitely
been achieved. It’s projects like this that make students and members of the
community alike, most proud of our amazing teachers and staff, for making special
learning opportunities like this possible, and allowing young minds to make a difference in the
community. The cooperation, creativity, and resourcefulness of our staff and
teachers are truly what make amazing project-based learning opportunities like
this possible. Our wonderful teachers, like Ms. Tash, and Ms. Reid, are constantly
doing amazing things to motivate their students. This is nothing out of the
ordinary for them, but that in no way makes their efforts any less remarkable.
Projects like this can sometimes seem almost ordinary at this school, because our
teachers always give their 110% in the lessons they plan. This is all just
another day at the Dayton Regional STEM School, a place where our teachers
truly make us who we are.
