SENIORS SPEAK OUT

THIS IS IT. This is what they have all been waiting for. Eighteen long years of waiting to make a choice on something that really matters to them. At eighteen years old, they can cast a ballot, change their futures, and do exactly what their eight grade civics teacher told them they could do:

And perhaps this, more than anything else, defines what it means to be grown up. VOTE.

As the youngest demographic who can legally vote, seniors can step forward as mouthpieces for what issues the newer generation is concerned with. The question is, what problems do we want to fix?

To answer this question, seniors not only have to consider what problems matter most to them, but also the problems that will affect this generation many years down the road.

WHAT IS STUDENT CAM?

In an effort to make seniors think about what issues they want to focus on during the election, and what they are looking for in presidential candidates, some AP Government classes have a StudentCam project, sponsored by C-SPAN, where students create a video about their vision for 2020 and what specific issue they want presidential candidates to address. Among the wide range of topics, there were some overarching themes that were especially important to Jefferson’s current seniors.

Students participating in the CAM project created a video between five and six minutes in length exploring their topic of choice. The video must include clips from C-SPAN videos. Students are asked to propose specific solutions that they want to see implemented by the candidates in 2020.

One popular topic discussed was Medicare, particularly inflated drug prices. This subject came about through recent awareness on the monopolization of certain drugs by companies, which happens to affect family members of some students.

“I was thinking [about] Medicare, especially with my grandparents who depend on prescription drugs for their health conditions. This topic was extremely important to me [because] the vulnerable groups that need these drugs in order to survive are kind of being exploited by private companies [with] skyrocketing prices,” senior Michelle Pham said.

GUN CONTROL Another topic, and one that hits very close to home in lieu of recent school shootings, was gun control. “You hear about the mass shootings, especially in like schools and stuff like that, and that definitely is something that I think disturbs most students around the country,” senior Sheila Iyer said.

In line with recent gun control laws passed by the Virginia state legislature, seniors simply want to see candidates who are willing to support a stricter outlook on guns. “To me, the most important [thing] is someone who channels what people believe and I think the majority of Americans if they’re not supportive of more strict measures, they’re supportive of background checks,” Iyer said. Not surprisingly, one of the more popular general topics chosen for discussion was dealing with climate change, which is something that new voters have been pushing for around the nation.

“I think climate change is something that affects our generation even more than other generations, but really it’s something everyone should be concerned about because if climate change continues at the pace it’s going, it’ll affect everyone around the world. And you know, people’s standard of living will decrease, the livable land will decrease, the food we eat will change, the energy we use will change, everything will change,” senior Evan Howard said.

CONCLUSION With projects like these, seniors have gained an insight into how these problems affect them, and how important it is to be able to have a say in them.

“I’ve just turned 18 so obviously that gives you the right to vote, and I think that it’s really important for children to be advocates and talk about issues that are relevant to them and that they have cared for,” Iyer said “A lot of people have this mindset that one vote doesn’t really make a difference, but I think it’s really cool for students to engage in their civic responsibility and talk about issues that are important to them.”

1. As part of her Law and Society class, senior Jamie Lee writes a letter to her representatives about New Voices Virginia, which protects student journalists from censorship. “Student journalists deserve all the protections of the First Amendment without the administration acting as a partial guideline,” Lee said. 2. Climate change was the focus of senior Evan Howard’s CAM project. As part of the guidlines for the project, students had to use clips from C-Span videos. “Climate change must be addressed in the next election because our time is running out to combat climate change,” Howard said. 3. Senior Michelle Pham and her group decided to cover healthcare for their CAM project, specifically rising drug costs in the United States. ”My group chose rising prescription drug costs because it’s a serious issue that affects millions of Americans and in some cases means life or death,” Pham said. 4. As part of her CAM project

for her AP Government class, senior Kathy Li made a banner addressing ex-convict employment discrimination. Li and her group took a different route when it come to creating their project, as they were the only ones to make a banner about their issue. “Playing with negative space, I experimented with the banner design to try to closely match the C-SPAN prompt. Overall, I am quite happy with how the composition and colors turned out,” Li said.

The FCPS landmark civil engagement policy serves to encourage student activists like Sophia Kianni by Justin Chang, Irina Lee, and Grace Mak FIGHT FREE TO

TO BE FREE Illustration by Muhib Zaman

Seeing is believing, but for climate activist Sophia Kianni, it was what she didn’t see that instilled in her a belief to make a change for the better. As an Iranian-American, she spent months in Iran, only to notice that something was off.

“I always looked at the stars at night with my parents. It was a nightly ritual when I was younger, and I couldn’t do that in Iran because the pollution was so bad,” Kianni said. “That was one of the primary things that was a catalyst for me.”

Frustrated by what she saw as inaction Kianni turned to her phone to message activists she followed on Instagram for a chance to take part in events that could spark awareness. Just a few months later, those first few messages evolved into hunger

striking in Nancy Pelosi’s office, becoming a member of the Fridays For Future national media team, and being a part of This Is Zero Hour’s national partnership team.

It is not only Kianni’s story, but also those of other student activists across the county, that collectively marks a climate of activism and student engagement. Seniors Abby Kim and Grace Cullen participated in the Women’s March on Jan. 25.

“I hope many of the people in charge see that women’s rights is still an issue and that people are willing to come back year after year until things change,” Cullen said. “Everyone deserves to be treated equally and have a say over the laws that concern them.”

A participant inw the March for Life in 2018, sophomore Elliott Lee became interested in activism after studying the case Tinker v. Des Moines, which guaranteed first amendment rights to students on school grounds, including the right to protest.

“There is no point in having a right if people do not exercise it. In order for students to become productive members of society, they should use these rights that others fought years to procure,” Lee said. “I encourage students to participate in causes that they believe in, because if nobody is there to speak about it, nothing will be done about it.” #FAIRFAX COUNTY MAKES HISTORY

In working with students across Fairfax County to voice their concerns, Kimberly Boateng, the student representative to the Fairfax County School Board, has seen firsthand the importance students have in promoting change.

“I feel as though students should have the opportunity, especially in this social climate, to speak up for what they believe in whatever that may be,” Boateng said. “Students are the movers of tomorrow and it is important to support and not penalize their desire to make a difference in the world.”

GREEN NEW DEAL FIGHT FOR F

O F Y A D I R

R F U S E R U T

In order to encourage students to be politically active with- in their communities, Fairfax County passed a novel policy, effective since Jan. 21, allowing students in seventh through 12th grade one excused absence for a partial day spent participating in “civic engagement activities,” such as sit-ins, marches and lobbying.

“Fairfax County was perhaps the first district in the na- tion—certainly the biggest district in the nation—to have adopted something like this,” Fairfax County School Board Member Emeritus Ryan McElveen said. “And so, I think in this and in other areas, we are always a national leader, given our proximity to Washington D.C.”

Inspired by past student displays of dedication towards political issues such as gun violence and climate change, McElveen first introduced the policy in February of 2019. By June of that same year, the board made a consensus to move forward with the idea, sending it to the Governance Committee, which developed the policy further and finally presented it in December.

“There were a couple issues that really brought this issue to a head of civic engagement,” McElveen said. “First was the issue of gun violence prevention. Back in 2018, we saw a lot of students voice their concerns about that issue and lead protests, which led [to] a desire to have equitable treatment throughout the county.” #ADDRESSING CONCERNS

In light of concerns from critics saying that schools should not actively encourage students to take time off, the school board has also instituted safeguards to prevent increased truancy that could resulted from students abusing the policy. Students are required to submit a form several days in ad- vance to an administrator, explaining and giving proof of the civic engagement activity they plan to participate in.

“Many of today’s largest movements are being led and pushed by the youth of America and it is time our education systems recognize that,” Boateng said. “Some people fear this is radicalizing students or encouraging truancy, but very clearly this is not the case because there are guidelines in place and students are invited to demonstrate for whatever stance they so choose.”

Furthermore, because chronic absenteeism is a factor in measuring the accreditation of school districts in the state of Virginia, Fairfax County’s new policy requires that students check in at school before leaving for their civic engagement activities. Ultimately, McElveen believes that, based on past experience, students will make good use of this policy to speak out on issues that they are personally invested in and make a difference in the world around them.

“Our students are passionate and they want to have their voices heard and they will use this in a productive way,” McElveen said. #ON THE FRONT LINES

Kianni plans to use her day of absence in New York, where she was invited to attend the New York Times Sustainability Summit. Although protest culture is at the forefront of

1

3 2

COVER STORY 9 public imagination of what activism is, Kianni pushed back against that thought.

“If you’re trying to assert that the only thing that [activists] are doing are skipping school and marching in the streets, that’s just not a very accurate picture,” Kianni said. “We have conference calls, we’re getting in contact with state legislators, we’re writing press releases, we’re writing op-eds.”

To date, she is most proud of her participation in a hunger strike at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. Organized by Extinction Rebellion, participants refrained from eating to bring awareness to the cause of climate change.

“It was the first of its kind, and I agreed with the cause be- cause I did believe that Nancy Pelosi needed to take stronger action on climate change, especially with the legislation that has been trying to be passed. She called the Green New Deal a ‘Green Dream,’ which was something that I personally was pretty offended by,” Kianni said.

The strike ended when, after going four days without food, nine protestors stormed Pelosi’s office and were arrested. Kianni wasn’t ready to take that step, but she encountered a confron- tation of her own when speaking with a climate change denier. Unlike the national narrative of antagonism and hatred, she believed the exchange to be based in respect.

“It was kind of a funny, light, humorous moment, and I told him that I understood that he was genuinely concerned, but from my position I couldn’t give him the credibility that he want- ed because he hadn’t established himself as an authority on what we were talking about,” Kianni said.

For those who are just getting started with their own activism, Kianni has some advice.

“You should find something you’re genuinely passionate about,” Kianni said. “I spend so much time on my activism, it’s basically a full time job on top of everything. If you put yourself out there and you make it known that something is your passion, then you’re going to receive the same energy and enthusiasm.” Whether it’s from Kianni, the FCPS School Board, or Jeffer- son’s principal, we hear the same message echoed over and over again: make your voice heard.

“A student’s place is not in the classroom,” Principal Dr. Ann Bonitatibus said. “It’s in the world, and a classroom is just one part of the world in which you exist every day. If we are protect- ing you [from diverse or controversial perspectives] or keeping you from engaging with society, we’re not doing our job.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF Sophia Kianni, Abby Kim 1. Standing in Folger Park where senior Sophia Kianni planned to meet with fellow activists before hunger striking at Nancy Pelosi’s office, Kianni holds her “Fridays For Future” sign, which she made earlier that day before skipping school. 2. While showing their support in the fourth annual Women’s March held in Washington D.C., seniors Abby Kim and Grace Cullen and freshmen Riley Cooper and Ellie Rowland, stop to display their posters. “I don’t look at this single event as one thing that will change the course of history, make some big legislation pass through, or even make any sort of real change, but I think it’s the culmination of a lot of different efforts,” Kim said. 3. Marching alongside thousands of others, Rowland displays her homemade poster, which takes aim at President Trump’s cabinet. Participants of the Women’s March in D.C. began their day at the Freedom Plaza and marched along Constitution Avenue and around Lafayette Square. 4. On the steps of Capitol Hill, Kianni stands alongside political activist Jane Fonda. Constantly on the move, Kianni believes the FCPS civil engagement policy is a step in the right direction for activists like her. “I obviously would appreciate it more if there were more days, but I think it’s a great starting point. It is a very novel policy - it’s the only school district in the US to have such a thing,” Kianni said.