Juniors in Aaron Lopez’s American Authors class presented their Social Experience Papers Tuesday, October 23rd, in the Rose Auditorium. In conjunction with reading The Scarlet Letter, students were asked to learn about a social issue of their choosing by doing both academic and immersive experiential research. We heard from ten students about a wide variety of topics ranging from mental illness to plastic waste.

Instead of trying to get his class to understand and relate to the themes of adultery and ostracization found in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Mr. Lopez asked them to step outside their comfort zone and live an experience they wouldn’t otherwise encounter while thinking about and reflecting on the social and political paradigms found in mid-19th century America. Their experiment needed to offer a unique learning experience that focused on a social or political issue found in today’s society.

First, they picked an issue they were passionate about, whether it was Islamophobia, the pink tax, or social anxiety. Then they developed a social experiment around it that highlighted how isolating the experience could be and wrote a paper about their findings. Each of the ten presenters introduced the topic they chose and walked us through their experiment. As they concluded their discussion, it was clear just how much the experience affected their perspective. They offered ways in which we can combat these social issues and help outliers in our community.

It was an immersive and engaging project that had a profound impact on the students. They learned just what it meant to be deemed a social outcast and came up with ways to improve how our society views those we find “other.”

Student Presenters:

Rachel Balaj – Social Anxiety

Ella Florkey – Food Deserts

Jack Scott – Handicap/Disability Rights

Jordan Vandersluis – Social Media

David Smalley – Homelessness

Victoria Osborne – The Pink Tax

Shraya Sandhir – Mental Illness

Mollie Choo – Sleep Deprivation

Lexi Detrick – Plastic Waste

Liberty Endres – Islamophobia

Creative possibilities impact you as you arrive in Mr. Fout’s sixth-grade Social Science class. His carefully curated walls draw the eye. Each display focuses on a different part of the globe and a different theme ready to be explored. His classroom is a welcoming environment that encourages deep thought and reflection.

One method Mr. Fout recently used to challenge students to broaden their ideas on real-world issues was a debate. His students prepared for five class periods. That’s ten full hours of research, development, and strategy. The discussion focused on NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, a wonderfully relevant and controversial topic. Mr. Fout divided students into two teams: a pro-NAFTA and an anti-NAFTA side. They were expected to work together to research the topic, develop their arguments, and present them intelligently and concisely in front of the class. Each member of the group was responsible for one of several key components of the debate: an opening statement, a presentation of the argument, a rebuttal, and, finally, a closing statement.

The exercise showed just how immersed these students were in the topic, demonstrating impressive understanding of the subject and the ability to think on their feet. They were expected to think critically about NAFTA, take notes during the presentations, and craft appropriate rebuttals during a brief recess.

Once each side had the opportunity to present their evidence and address any counter arguments, Mr. Fout facilitated a period of self-assessment and reflection. During this time, he asked that students take in all the information they learned during the debate and formulate their own opinions on the subject. He posed some questions: Did their opinions change from those on the side they represented? Did they feel like they fully understood the other side of the argument? Were their opinions maybe a little biased? Does competition lend itself to complete understanding of a topic, or should more research be done?

At the end of it all, Mr. Fout congratulated the students on their hard work and let them know they should be proud of themselves for their dedication to the debate. It was an impressive display of knowledge and respect for one another. The classroom was a safe space for the students to debate a controversial topic and enlighten one another about each side of an argument.