King Students Serve Up Advocacy With Creative Café Presentations

This month, King School Grade 5 students transformed their classrooms into an "Advocacy Cafe," where they hosted discussion hubs focused on social issues important to them. Inspired by the café theme, they presented menus introducing each topic with a creative culinary twist, featuring titles like "Climate Curry," "Lettuce Live in Harmony," and "Social Media Soufflé."

In addition to addressing recurring topics such as climate change and mental health, the students also explored new issues like immigration and rehabilitation programs for incarcerated individuals.

“Each year, I take a moment to reflect on emerging topics that might resonate with students, so I'm prepared to address their questions or thoughts,” said Hannah Scala, the project’s lead teacher.

The students valued the opportunity to choose a subject that resonated personally with them.

“I liked getting to research something I was interested in,” said Savannah Holder, whose speech, "Equal Apples," emphasized the importance of equality in education.

Noah Saragoussi, who presented “Crêpes Change,” a talk about climate change, shared, “I enjoyed the process of writing my speech because I was passionate about the topic.”

To ensure students were well-prepared for their research, Scala and Teacher Librarian Leigh Roberts worked closely with them to enhance their research skills. They taught students effective note-taking strategies, how to search for information, evaluate source credibility, and cite findings using the Modern Language Association (MLA) format.

Among the many thought-provoking presentations, some stood out for their unique perspectives. Jasper Coulombe’s speech, “Cereal-ously Overwhelmed,” focused on mental health, with Jasper noting, “I feel like it’s the biggest problem in society right now.”

Beyond informing their audience, students also hoped to make a lasting impact.

Isabella Ulloa, who researched social dynamics and insecurities, said, “I hope that people may feel more at ease about why their children feel insecure after hearing my ‘Insecu-Ritz’ presentation.”

With another successful Advocacy Cafe behind them, students will carry forward the skills they’ve developed in critical thinking, research, and public speaking. Advocacy and self-expression will remain core themes in future lessons.