Jefferson 8th-Graders Show Off Advocacy Projects

Meet some young advocates: eighth grade students at . 

These students, part of the school's enriched language arts program, each chose an issue under-represented in society. They then became the voice for that cause. 

The students displayed their projects and explained to students how they could help in a special gallery showing Tuesday. Parents, teachers and other students stopped by to see their work. 

Jessica Ley and Donna Montilla chose to focus on the effects of war and poverty on Sudanese boys. 

"We decided this was our topic because the children are 7 to 17, and we're right in the middle of that," Ley said. 

Neither knew much about the topic before the project. 

"It really hit me emotionally," Montilla said. "You see boys that you can see their bones through their skin...It makes me think about how we take so many things for granted." 

Students could work individually on the project or in pairs. They researched their topics throughout the school year, also reading a related novel, watching documentaries and contacting advocacy groups. They then had to present the topic six different ways (i.e. speaking, writing, technology, etc.).

Eighth-grade teacher Di Ander said Jefferson has assigned the project for the past two years, but this was the first time the students were able to show off their work in Tuesday's gallery. The project is intended to challenge students to delve into an issue and think about it at a higher level.

"They find that they are powerful," Ander said. "They can make a difference and they can show others how to try and make a difference."

Ander and eighth-grade language arts teacher Jenny Bell said the projects represent high school- and even college-level thinking. 

"They're picking a topic and doing deep thinking, which is a life skill," Bell said. "They're being concerned with what's going on in the world. It's truly high school or college level thinking that these kids have been doing." 

Isabella Ruggiero and Megan Ramsden chose the gendercide in China for their project. 

"We chose the topic because we are girls," Ruggiero said. "It's interesting to see how everything fit in. It affects everyone in China." 

Ruggiero said she was surprised by the statistics related to their topic, including that of China's 50 million orphans, 95 percent are girls. 

The pair read a novel and watched a film on the topic. They also contacted the chief communication officer for The Lost Daughters of China for an interview. 

Ruggiero said she planned to continue to be an advocate. 

"It's important that students know about issues and get involved," she said. "We will decide the future and what's coming next."