TEMPLE, Texas — Eighth graders at the Temple Independent School District’s Travis Science Academy had the opportunity to present their research on crucial issues facing the world and the local community Monday morning (May 12). Travis hosted its annual Community Service Showcase where 55 students enrolled in the campus’s International Baccalaureate Mid Years Programme presented their research projects.
Students were required to select an issue and research information and solutions relating to that topic. Students worked in groups to complete the projects and presented their findings to classmates, staff members, district administrators, family members, and community members during today’s showcase. Each group had to make an oral presentation relating to a posterboard they created to illustrate the issue. Each group also submitted a written version of their research and presentation as part of the project. The idea behind the Community Service Showcase is to make student inquire into the relationships and needs between people around the world and people here in the local community. Students also discussed how they connected a community need to the issues that impact the future generation of the Global Community.
“I want the students to figure out a way to make our community, our state, or even our world, a better place based on the research they have done and the action they have done based on that research,” said Kathy Cook, IB MYP Coordinator at Travis Science Academy. “These kids are our future and if the students have a passion and maintain that passion, they are more likely to take action on it as they grow. This gives them an opportunity to spread the word to their fellow students and to our community.”
The topics ranged covered a variety of issues such as ocean pollution, disability awareness, mental health concerns, human trafficking, teen apathy, and student morale. Students were able to pick a topic or issue that appealed to them and then worked in small groups to complete their projects. The students say the assignment helped them learn about issues and themselves along the way and look forward to the opportunity to make a difference locally and globally.
“All of the activities I am involved with now shape the person I am today and also shape the person I will be in the future,” said Janiyah Green, who did her presentation on ‘Teenage Apathy.’ “It is important to learn about community service and ways you can help other people because it makes you a better person and you are setting yourself up to have more empathy.”
“I wanted to bring awareness to this issue because we have learned about how the numbers just keep growing and this is impacting so many people in our day-to-day lives,” added Catherine Dunklin, who worked on a group project on ‘Disability Awareness.’ “We have tried to research care sites that can help people with disabilities, and we just really want to get the word out here so the people who hear our message can share it with others.”
The Community Service Showcase is an IB Mid Years Programme Requirement and Travis Science Academy has been presenting this event since 2017.