TEMPLE, Texas — Eighth graders at 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 Wednesday morning (February 25). Travis hosted its annual Community Service Showcase where more than 70 students enrolled in the campus’s International Baccalaureate Mid Years Programme presented their research projects.
Students participating in the Community Service Showcase select a topic that impacts the local community and ties to a larger issue that also affects the Global Community. The students work in groups to research the topic, find resources and solutions, and then create presentations based on those findings. The idea behind the Community Service Showcase is to encourage students to inquire into the relationships and need between people around the world and people here in the local community. Each student group completed their projects and presented their findings to classmates, staff members, district administrators, family members, and community members during Wednesday’s showcase. The students made oral presentations based on posterboards they created to illustrate the issue and highlight those resources and solutions. The groups also submit a written version of their research and presentation as part of the project and Wednesday’s presentations represent months of hard work for each group.
“We want our students to be able to see situations in our community that impact those around them,” said Kathy Cook, IB MYP Coordinator at Travis Science Academy. “We want them to find topics that are global topics and find ways that we can work on those issues on a local level before we expand out into the world. This showcase gives them an opportunity to spread the word to their fellow students and to our community. I just love this event because the students are so proud of their work and have a real chance to make an impact with their projects.”
The topics presented covered issues ranging from water pollution and clean energy to poverty and homelessness, mental health concerns to organ donation, and deforestation to donating to community members in need. Students were able to pick a topic or issue that appealed to them and then worked in small groups to complete their projects. Hudson Macey and Jensen Hill worked together on a Men’s Mental Health project. They chose the topic after seeing how mental health issues impacted everyone from professional athletes to people closer to home but were still not widely talked about. The two hope their project can inform the community and help remove some of the stigma around the topic.
“I have seen some people around me who have dealt with mental health disorders,” Macey said. “Knowing that if I put together a really good project, I can help out a lot of people in need, that really pushed me to make this project happen. It makes me feel good because there are a lot of people who might watch our videos or look at our Instagram page that we might be able to help, and not ever even know about.”
“Doing the research about this and finding out how many people are dealing with these types of issues really made me want to try to help,” added Hill. “I think it is good for us to be able to share about these types of issues because people can find something that relates to them. It can not only help people here at school, but also people around the world.”
The state-qualifying Travis Science Academy Robotics Team also had the opportunity to present during this year’s showcase. The school’s “Upscaling the Travis Science Academy Garden” group also participated for the first time after working with community partners on improvements to the campus’s outdoor garden.
The Community Service Showcase is an IB Mid Years Programme Requirement and Travis Science Academy has been presenting this event since 2017.