In the fall, Mrs. Thurik's English 2 class participated in the Veterans of Foreign Wars' Voices of Democracy Oratory Project. This year's topic was "Is America Today Our Forefathers' Vision?"
The four-week classroom project began with students identifying and researching America's forefathers. Mrs. Thurik collaborated with Mrs. Curtis, a U.S. History teacher for many of the same students, to create a cross-curricular unit. With Mrs. Curtis, students studied primary source documents and historical events. In Mrs. Thurik’s class, they read nonfiction articles and analyzed the lyrics of the Broadway musical Hamilton.
Using primary source material, students outlined and drafted essays defining the founding fathers' vision and evaluating how they might perceive modern America. These drafts were revised into final copies, which students then recorded. All submissions were sent to the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter for evaluation, and the top entries were selected to advance.
Brooklyn's essay was chosen as a winning submission. She received a $150 award and was honored at a banquet on February 16. Her oral submission will now move on to the next round of competition.