Community Engagement & 8th Grade Capstone

Community Engagement & 8th Grade Capstone
Community Engagement & 8th Grade Capstone
Danny Stock
Middle School students visited dozens of GDS partner organizations around DC as they studied access to healthcare, criminal justice reform, equity in education, gun control, homelessness, hunger, immigration reform, the impact of hate speech, gender justice, and environmental sustainability. They concluded with presentations by 8th grade students as part of their Community Engagement capstone.
Group photo of students in front of a truck.
Homelessness

Students partnered with Friendship Place to sort and organize donations, such as socks and underwear, that will be donated to individuals who are experiencing homelessness.

Two students holding two checklists.
Gun Control

In one lesson, 8th graders designed an interactive lesson that taught younger students about current legislation pertaining to gun control.

High school students sitting with and reading to younger students.
Equity in Education

Here 8th grade students work with early learning at partner organization CentroNia around literacy, math, socialization, and physical education.

Students seated around a conference table.
Gender Justice

Students visited the National Women's Law Center where they learned about their recent advocacy campaigns around gender justice.

Students on a tour.
Access to Healthcare

Students visited medical centers including Whitman Walker and United Medical Center to better understand access for low-income families and the impact of maternity ward closures.

Student preparing a meal.
Hunger

Capital Area Food Bank hosted GDS students and led the group through a lesson about access to fresh food. Students were able to harvest vegetables from the on-site garden.

Students working in a public green space.
Environmental Sustainability

In partnership with Living Classrooms, students visited Kingman Island and participated in a meadow clean-up effort.

Students giving a presentation in front of a class of other students.
Immigration Reform

Connecting what they learned from the Constitutional Issues Paper to direct service experiences, 8th graders taught lessons about the refugee resettlement process and why people emigrate to another country.

Students giving a presentation in front of a class of other students.
Impact of Hate Speech

After visiting the Anti-Defamation League and Center for Democracy and Technology, students presented information to the MS community about the impact of hate speech.

Students giving a presentation in front of a class of other students.
Capstone Presentations

The 8th grade Community Engagement capstone presentations given to 6th and 7th graders—like this one on criminal justice reform— incorporated videos, posters, surveys, and other meaningful learning activities designed by the students.

Community Engagement & 8th Grade Capstone
  • Community Engagement
  • Engage Ethically
  • Middle School