On June 9 and 10, over 400 seventh graders from RJ Grey Junior High School participated in what has become an annual Civics Fair event that community members participate in. The Civics Fair was held at the RJ Grey library during school hours and the gymnasium in the later afternoon to accommodate parents and others who were interested in visiting.
Anthony Zeese, the social studies department coordinator at RJ Grey said, “The Civics Fair is my favorite project we do here at RJ Grey. It is so important for students to be able to identify issues they care about, learn more about them through research, and share their knowledge with the community.”
The students’ projects covered a variety of topics this year. Many were on important issues we hear about often: immigration in Massachusetts, stress and anxiety in schools, sleep deprivation, book banning, homelessness, health care access, and food insecurity, to name a few. Some current topics this year were the effects of AI, how carbon emissions relate to climate change, and a quest to save a beaver family that built a dam in a local waterway.
A highlight this year for the students was Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan attending the Civics Fair on June 9. She spent time listening to students talk about their projects in the library and then engaging them in conversations in a classroom. In the later afternoon session on June 10, 400 parents and interested community members also visited the Civics Fair to show their support for the students’ efforts.
DA Ryan was accompanied by Bear, a comfort dog, who received a bit more attention from the 7th graders than the DA.
For the third year, the League of Women Voters Acton Area (LWV-AA) supported the student participants by organizing a group of volunteers to award certificates to all the students in recognition of their hard work and findings of their projects. Volunteers were local League members, public officials, and interested members of the community who actively engaged the students in conversations about their chosen topics and listened to the solutions they found.
Lori Cooney, one of the LWV-AA Executive Directors, said she loves volunteering for this event. She commented, “It’s the noisiest school library I’ve ever been to. That loud energy shows me their project means something to them. Every year I walk away impressed. Thanks to the advocacy of the Massachusetts League of Women Voters and others, student-led civics projects are now required curriculum for students in junior high and high school.”
Leslie Hogan is a Boxborough resident and Steering Committee member of the League of Women Voters-Acton Area (LWV-AA). Leslie was one of the organizers of the LWV-AA participation in the Civics Fair.
