IT’S A RIGHT

By Lucy Shulman & Inaya Pirani, Class of 2023

D uring their eighth-grade year, our students embark upon a meaningful service-learning capstone project. This project allows students to connect directly with community members to learn about the complexities of real-world problems, the value of service work, and the importance of civic efficacy. Students gain a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the daily operations and decision making that occurs as an organization strives to address and solve a specific community need or challenge. Students are guided by capstone mentors through the research process and given the opportunity to take action in the field before sharing a presentation that synthesizes the knowledge they gained. Two of our graduating eighth-graders provided their reflections on this experience, and the following is an article written in their own words.