Carbonado students shine in Project Citizen

Published 12:03 pm Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Carbonado students and teacher Signe Lukasiak gathered Saturday for a group photo in Olympia. The women in center back are Supreme Court Justice Mary Fairhurst (in dark robe) and Kathy Hand
Carbonado students and teacher Signe Lukasiak gathered Saturday for a group photo in Olympia. The women in center back are Supreme Court Justice Mary Fairhurst (in dark robe) and Kathy Hand

Carbonado middle school students participated in “Project Citizen” again this year.

The primary goal is to develop in students a commitment to active citizenship.  They learned about the policy-making process of government at all levels.  Each class worked together to identify and study a problem in their community or school.  They proposed a solution in the form of a public policy recommendation and developed an action plan for getting their policy proposal adopted and implemented.

The students display their work in a portfolio and documentation binder and present it in a simulated public hearing. This process helps students connect with real world problems and events.

This year’s Project Citizen Showcase for Carbonado was on March 26.  The sixth grade class took first place in district competition with their project about illegal dumping: “Don’t Dump the Trash…. Just Pay the Cash.”

They next competed at the state level on May 18 in Olympia. While the group didn’t advance to nationals they received a rating of “exceptional” and took home a plaque, engraved with all their names.