When the city announced that it would be soliciting public opinion for the name of a new elementary school, Amanda Kropp saw an opportunity for her 12th grade Government students. Her students studied current names of schools in the ACPS system, looking for trends of names they could suggest. Students then researched a person they believed would be the best fit for a new elementary school in the Alexandria community. In class, students participated in a class caucus to determine the best name per class. After the caucus, students submitted their school name proposals to the ACPS naming committee in charge of naming the new school. When the new name was revealed, Ferdinad T. Day, students reflected on the naming process and talked about why it is important that citizens of Alexandria have a say in who a school is named after.
Using the knowledge gained from the West End naming activity, students will complete a civic action project as their final project for government. This project allows students to use their knowledge gained about how they can be an active citizen with their national, state, or local government to bring about meaningful change. Students will research an issue in either their state or local community and create a civic action proposal offering a feasible solution to that issue.
Cohort Member: Amanda Kropp
Students: 12th grade government students at TC Williams High School
Essential Questions:
What are effective citizens?
What citizen actions are most effective?
Standards:
GOVT 1.g. take knowledgeable, constructive action, individually, and collaboratively, to address school, community, local, state, national, and global issues.
GOVT 9.g. devise a course of action to address local and/or state issues
GOVT 11.d. investigate and evaluate the balance between individual liberties and the public interest
GOVT 11.e. examine how civil liberties and civil rights are protected under the law
