Changing the world, one project at a time

Published 7:59 am Friday, February 29, 2008

The mission is hardly simple; change the world in one month or less, and try to earn a good grade while you’re at it.

But that’s what sophomores at Jackson High School have done for each of the past two years, and it’s all part of a classroom project, duly titled “Change the World.” The project is headed by Jackson teachers Tal Anderson and Melissa Blake.

“This is their chance to do something about the issues, become an expert and educate others and take action,” Anderson said.

Blake added, “It brings together all the ideas we discuss during the year … global issues, concerns, values and morals.”

The project requires students to choose a topic or issue they are interested in, and do something about it both locally and internationally. Students were scheduled to present their experiences in class this week.

Andrianna Pavsidis, 15, and her partner, Jenna Blanchard, 16, chose to tackle hunger for their project. The two researched the topic and created brochures and flyers to bring awareness to their community, and led a presentation at nearby Mill Creek Elementary School. They also had a snack and drink stand at the recent Mill Creek garage sale in an effort to raise money for the World Vision Charity. The $80 profit they made will go towards buying a goat for a village in a developing country through the charity, they said.

“If we had raised more money, we would have gone for a pig, but they cost $220, so we settled for a goat,” Pavsidis explained.

During the project, Pavsidis and Blanchard came upon some surprising facts, including a statistic that every 3.5 seconds someone dies of hunger.

The realization that hunger is a problem even in their own city was shocking, they said.

“This is the first time I had done anything like this – and I had no idea so many people went hungry in the U.S.,” Pavsidis said.

Josh Nianekeo, 16, chose deforestation for his project. Like his classmates, he too created a flyer and hung informative signs around the school.

But Nianekeo wanted to take it one step further.

On Saturday, May 22, Nianekeo and a group of his classmates met at the International Fountain at Seattle Center to pass out their various flyers and talk about global issues with passers-by.

“It was just an idea, and it got bigger than I thought,” Nianekeo said. He expected about 100 students to participate in the event.

The project, he added, has “gotten into my brain.”

But that’s just the sort of thing Anderson and Blake were hoping for.

“It’s really neat when you see the students get excited about it, and they realize they can do things like this in the future,” Blake said. “It shows them they have the ability to make a difference.”