Bourne Students Gear Up For Civics Action Project
A panel discussion was held at Bourne High School this week for the district’s 8th and 10th grade students, serving as a kickoff event for the students’ upcoming Civics Action projects that they will work on over the next few months.
Sharon Moore and Lisa DiBiasio are both 8th grade civics teachers at Bourne Middle School. The 8th grade students, Ms. Moore said, attended the panel to hear from local organizers and leaders about the issues that they see as pervading the community and to get the students thinking about what they can do with their projects to help find solutions. This year’s Civics Action projects will focus on the theme of physical, emotional and social wellbeing.
Six speakers representing a variety of organizations and fields were present to introduce their work to the students. State Representative David T. Vieira (D-Falmouth) kicked off the panel, welcoming students to the first step of their Civics Action projects. The project became part of the curriculum following the passing of legislation by state lawmakers, something Rep. Vieira had a hand in.
“Today is an exciting day because today is the day where you’re going to take all these ideas and thoughts that you’ve had…and really be able to connect with those of us that are in the community working on some of the projects that you’re thinking about,” Rep. Vieira said, adding that he intends to support both students and staff to make the projects successful.
The Civics Action Project has been a success in Bourne schools before, with previous projects successfully getting vegetarian options added to the cafeteria and, in another instance, giving older students the chance to speak to younger students at Bourne Intermediate School about their projects and raise awareness about their topics. This year, in terms of wellbeing, students will be diving into issues such as mental health awareness, the danger of vaping in teens, substance use disorder, bullying, and equity for marginalized groups, such as the LGBTQ+ community or people of color.
Each of the panelists took the time to introduce themselves and their work to the students. Jeanne Morrison was there on behalf of four of the organizations she is part of—the League of Women Voters of the Cape Cod Area, the Barnstable County Human Rights Advisory Commission, the Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition and Amplify POC Cape Cod—and emphatically told students that civic engagement is some of the most important work they could do.
“It’s the beginning for many of you…to work on issues and address issues the way that you feel is important and to start that journey to also do it the rest of your life,” Ms. Morrison said. “You have control of your own destiny…you know better the issues that affect you as students and young people and you have ideas that you’re forming for the world you want to see.”
While Ms. Morrison represented a number of organizations spanning a spectrum of issues from affordable housing and childcare to racial justice and voting rights, other panelists were more specific with their work. Stephanie Briody, representing two student-driven organizations, and Beth Griffin, a school adjustment and mental health counselor at Upper Cape Regional Technical School, both touched upon the prevalence of substance use disorder among students.
Ms. Briody spoke about the Alternative Peer Group (APG) program and PASS, a group dedicated to providing productive alternatives to school suspension. She told the students that both groups “started with students just like you” who were worried about friends or peers that might have been battling substance use issues. In the same vein, Ms. Griffin—who also works with the Bourne Substance Free Coalition and the Rotary Club of Bourne and Sandwich—shared personal anecdotes and experiences representative of the community’s long battle with substance use disorder.
“What we tried to do is work together to help our community as we face this,” Ms. Griffin said. “I want you to understand that education is power, knowledge is power; whatever project you take on, get as much info as you can about it.”
Students also heard from newly elected Barnstable County Sheriff Donna Buckley, who was met with rapturous applause after introducing herself as the county’s first female sheriff and only the second in the state.
“I tell you that,” Ms. Buckley said, “because anything we care about is possible, and civics is how we are able to demonstrate what we care about.”
The new sheriff briefed the students on what it is that the sheriff actually does, something she says she realized most people are not informed on while campaigning. She spoke about substance use disorder and the effect it has had on the Cape Cod community, as well as mental health issues, both of which she says are prevalent issues requiring care within the Barnstable County Correctional Facility. Between 60 and 80 percent of incarcerated people there, Ms. Buckley said, struggle with substance use and mental health challenges.
“You can’t fix a problem until you name it,” she said, “and our generation, our world today, our challenge…is that we are dealing with crises of mental health challenges and substance use disorder. It touches all of us. Our physical, emotional and social wellbeing are very closely connected to our public policy and our work in addressing those crises.”
Panelist Megan Murphy gave students yet another jumping off point for their projects by introducing her now worldwide initiative, the Kindness Rocks Project. It all started with a walk on the beach after a bad day and the discovery of a heart-shaped rock. Ms. Murphy decided to beautify the rocks she kept finding with some art and an uplifting message, and now, eight years later, people in more than 90 countries worldwide are doing the same thing and “painting it forward.”
“I’m just one woman who felt the way that I felt and then realized that maybe someone else is also going through a tough time in their life, so I did something about it,” she said. “The idea is that one message at just the right moment can change someone’s entire day, outlook or life. And that’s what an act of kindness can do.”
Ms. Murphy invited students to take up the Kindness Rocks Project on their own and offered a five-step mindfulness process to go along with it, aimed at making the entire experience as therapeutic and beneficial as possible.
“Here’s a tip,” Ms. Murphy said, “we have to have compassion and kindness for ourselves before we can have and recognize kindness in the world.”
Now that they have heard from local organizers about the various avenues that can be explored through the Civics Action projects, students will zero in on a topic of their choosing and engage in research, investigation and interviews, and explore possible solutions.
“It was great to bring these experts in our community together yesterday to spark interest in topics that impact our community and also have connections that students can access later on in their project,” Ms. Moore said in an email after the program.
Ms. DiBiasio was selected to be a civics fellow for the Department of Education this year, and more recently was selected to participate in the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) Civics Project Classroom Video Series.
“The work that Sharon and I have done this past year was a major factor in this decision [to apply],” Ms. DiBiasio said in an email. “A large part of this project is collaboration and I would have to say very few collaborate as well as Sharon and I do.”
The first video in the series, which will be broadcast live on the DESE website, will focus on the students’ consensus building for selecting their topics, Ms. DiBiasio said.