West Leadership Weekly Round Up: May 21st - 25th

A YESS student giving out McDonald's
to a homeless man at Sunken Gardens Park

Hello!

This past week was a busy one as our high school students took their final exams and finished the semester!

Our classes were very light this past week as seniors were already finished and our middle school students were away during Explore week. That said, our high school students were given each day to either work on their Stand Up project or study for their other finals. Many students chose to do one last grade check before reviewing their coursework for their other classes on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday were work days with most students finishing up before their presentations on Thursday and Friday.

Comic strip about drug and alcohol abuse
submitted by two YESS mentors.

When it came to the final projects and what the students were able to accomplish, to say I was impressed would be an understatement. Many students not only chose interesting and relevant social justice topics, but several went above and beyond to actually implement their proposed solutions to these issues. From interviewing local veterinarians for their perspective on animal rights to giving out McDonald's to the homeless - it was excellent to see some proposed solutions put into action.

Outside view of info graphic on
human trafficking submitted by a YESS mentor.

With this project, it was important that students chose a topic that they personally felt passionate about. Additionally, it was crucial that they were able to decide for themselves how to best present and educate others on their issue. The variation in their final products was really cool - from comic strips about drug and alcohol abuse to several info graphics detailing statistics about human trafficking, students did an excellent job in understanding how to best get their message across and play to their strengths. Included below is an example of students using various mediums to get their message across. A couple of YESS students put together a digital essay about immigration that covers a lot of really good information. Feel free to check it out!

As the final projects and presentations concluded, it was certainly a bittersweet end to the week and to the semester for our high school students. After seeing all of the hard work and effort being put in on their projects, I was very proud to see us end on such a strong note. While students had certainly earned their summer break, it was disappointing to see them go. However, not everyone is finished for the year - as our middle school students are back from their Explore week and will be finishing up with their presentations in the next couple of days. So stay tuned! -Ben