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Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
4th-grade class at Utah school enacts change with essays
Rita Lewis' fourth grade class recently wrote essays to enact change at Central Elementary School. The hand dryers in the bathroom across the hall made learning difficult, and the students were ready to speak up. For years, the unusually loud bathroom hand dryers had interrupted classes and affected students' learning abilities. 'They could be really distracting to other kids. When people are teaching and they are right next to the hand dryers and their door is open, sometimes it makes it so they can't hear each other when they are telling stories,' said one of Lewis' fourth-grade students. The students' research showed that the hand dryers also affected test taking and students with special needs around them. 'Our special needs kids are afraid to go to the bathroom because it is so loud,' one student explained. With encouragement from their teacher, the students wrote essays to various companies around Utah asking them to donate quieter hand dryers to the school. Their large yellow envelope reached Chariot Plumbing Supply and Design in Salt Lake City. Business owner Jon Aird and operations manager Chantel Gough read through the students' essays and felt inspired to help. 'When we got the letter, we knew we had to help,' Aird said. The Chariot Plumbing team headed to the elementary school to assess the situation and meet the students. The class was ecstatic to have gotten a response. The company interviewed the class, asking questions for about 45 minutes, and quickly realized how much of a problem the hand dryers were. The loud noises continually interrupted students and made it nearly impossible for them to hear each other. Still, Chariot was impressed by the students' articulate nature and reasoning for needing new hand dryers. 'They are a really bright class. You can tell Mrs. Lewis is a really great teacher who really cares about them and letting them use their voice. They executed it perfectly,' shared Gough. After their interview, Chariot went to work researching the current decibel levels of the hand dryers and finding quieter hand dryers to donate. Throughout every contact point, the students were in charge of speaking to them and learning to advocate for their needs. Every email, phone call and conversation was student-led. 'We were a little nervous at the start. But I think we are excited now when we get calls because we want to use our voice,' one of the students said. The students learned that their thoughts are powerful and can make a change. They shared that they are 'changing history' for all future classes near the restrooms. 'We are so small, yet we found out that we have a big voice. We know that people will hear it,' a student expressed. Through their efforts, the students have enacted change beyond their school. 'These kids have inspired adults to look at their standards for buildings and schools to see if they are appropriate or not,' said Lewis. The new hand dryers will be installed before the end of the school year, and the students expressed gratitude to everyone who listened to their voices.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Worcester college students advocate to Congress to support higher education
Last month, Daniela McDaniel, a 19-year-old freshman from Worcester State University (WSU), traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for protecting higher education policies such as Pell Grants and the Federal Work-Study Program. McDaniel's mother is currently working three jobs and is doing her best to pay her daughter's out-of-state tuition. It was through federal student aid that she was able to go to WSU for their nursing program. When she heard Republicans were considering making changes to Pell Grants that would affect their accessibility, McDaniel was infuriated. 'Most of our education is paid because of financial aid, Pell Grants, all that stuff,' McDaniel said. 'I was freaking out. I had to sit back and be like, 'Okay well now what do I have to do?'' McDaniel, along with some of her WSU peers and students from six other Worcester colleges and universities, flew down to D.C. on April 30 on an organized trip to meet with the staff of Democrats and Republicans from several different states, including Texas, Alaska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. The other colleges that sent students included Clark University, College of the Holy Cross, Quinsigamond Community College (QCC), Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), UMass Chan Medical School and Nichols College, according to a Clark University spokesperson. In their conversations with the staff members, the students urged them to keep higher education policies such as Pell Grants intact. Pell Grants are a form of federal financial aid that is given to undergraduate students with exceptional financial need who have not earned a bachelor's degree, according to the Federal Student Aid website. On Thursday, May 22, the House of Representatives passed a tax and immigration bill that includes a provision where students have to be enrolled in at least 30 credit hours per academic year to earn a Pell Grant — an increase from the current 24 credits. The bill also eliminates federal subsidized loans for undergraduates and Direct Plus loans for graduate students beginning on July 1, 2026, according to Higher Ed Dive. Isabella Corazzini of Quinsigamond Community College (QCC) is angry and worried about the passage of the bill. 'These are not just policy changes; they are betrayals. Let's be real: it's not our Massachusetts legislators holding us back. They've shown up, they've listened, and many have stood by students like us,' she told MassLive. 'The real obstacles are legislators from other states — those who shut down these bills in the dark of night, who avoid their offices and refuse to meet with the very people their decisions are hurting.' When the students spoke to the staff members, there was a sense of fear and worry that impacts to higher education could affect their experience in college. Summit Smoker, a freshman at Clark University, met with the staff of representatives from Pennsylvania, his home state. He also met with staff from Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Penn., and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn. The reception from each office was mixed, with staff from Rep. Lloyd Smucker's office being receptive to Smoker's concerns while Fetterman's staff was more 'wishy washy.' In his communications, Smoker tried to articulate his worries about what cuts to federal student aid could mean to his college education. 'I'm asking myself, will I be able to finishing my degree?' said Smoker. 'Will I have to drop out of college? I benefit from the Pell Grant. I benefit from federal subsidized loans and I am on work study as well.' Now, that fear has turned to anger towards the Trump administration and members of Congress. 'I feel the current administration is not invested in the future of this country or democracy,' Clark University Student William Stafford said. 'Education has taken me places I never knew possible, and without the multitude of aid I received from both my institution and the government, students such as myself wouldn't be able to take advantage of the opportunities we work so hard for.' With the House passing the bill with the changes to higher education, there needs to be greater advocacy, QCC Junior Alyssa Corazzini tells MassLive. The House bill now heads to the Senate, who will be voting on the proposal next. Corazzini told MassLive that she hopes the Senate will 'stand on the side of students and protects student aid.' 'Policymakers need to remember that working-class people require help to access higher education,' she said. 'These aren't just budget line items.' DHS denies claims of Worcester mother's mistreatment ICE agents injured Worcester mother during raid, won't give her meds, attorney says Shadow of ICE arrest hangs over Worcester 'State of the City' speech Read the original article on MassLive.
