Sixth-graders from NMS and ENMS visited Touro Law Center on March 22 to
present their semester-long endeavors entitled “Project Citizen.” These
28 students are a part of the district’s Investigate program, a
challenging enrichment program that emphasizes higher level thinking
skills, problem solving activities, and cooperative learning techniques.
“Project Citizen” is in its second year as a part of the Investigate
program
Students presented their projects to a panel of civic experts, including
Northport Social Studies chairperson, Sean Hurley; Suffolk County
legislative aide, Liz Alexander; Director of Development at SCCC,
Christopher Williams; and Touro Law Students Kassandra Polanco and
Sydnie Molina.
For this project, students first identified an issue of public policy in
their community which concerned them. Each group of students then
researched their chosen problem, interviewing community members who
assisted them in learning more about the issue. Additionally, students
worked to identify potential solutions by way of letter writing, emails,
and phone calls.
Examples of issues researched include the rise in rear end collisions as
a result of red-light cameras, the environmental impacts of plastic
straw use, the need for school crossing guards to work longer hours, the
need for clean water fountains, and issues of flooding in Northport
village.
In addition to help from program facilitators Brianne Furstein and Fran
Bertos, Northport High School law teacher David Scott also guided
students in their research and organized their visit to Touro.
“This was a great event that brought civic learning to life. Students
were able to see how they can work together to use their voice to make
our world a better place,” said Mr. Scott.