On the first of April, the 5th graders led by Ms. Morissette presented their big projects to the entire school. As part of their social studies unit, the bright young stars of DIS brought together their research on various topics related to human rights, such as corporate human rights violations, historic advancements and setbacks within the topic, or even student’s prerogatives at DIS. The presentation was a massive success as it resonated with teachers, admins, and other students.

“It just feels great that we got to show what we learned to my friends and other people. It was a good time sharing knowledge with my friends, and learning about other things,” said Jennifer, a presenter. 

Fifth grader Layla also noted, “I learned from my friend’s presentation that big corporations and brands, like Samsung and H&M, often violate laborers’ rights. For example, they work 70 hours a week in terrible environments, which can often cause faintings and even deaths.”

Ms. ​​Morissette led the project and explained the background of the event. “We’ve been studying human rights in social studies through the 30 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and our goal with this project in particular was to make sure that we were sharing out what we had learned and connecting them to the real world.”

“Actually, one of the human rights is to share and educate the others about human rights themselves, so this was a good opportunity for us to actually put ourselves in action on the things we learned,” she added.

Ms. Morissette praised the diversity and thought put into the projects: “All the students have really stood out to me with their creativity of their projects. Some evaluated how DIS promotes human rights, and it was interesting to compare my perspective on the subject as a teacher with theirs as students. Some focused on figures they were passionate about, like artists or entrepreneurs. Some presented about current issues, like what’s been going on in Ukraine and Russia.”

“My group talked about the American Civil War and how human rights were violated during the war,” said Jennifer. “Especially during times of war, rights are violated: people lose their homes, properties, and even lives,” she said.

On the other hand, Layla noted, “Me and my partner – Stella – we talked about human rights in general. We presented our project, which was about what human rights themselves were, and how they could be violated in the world.”

Ms. Morissette exclaimed, “Overall, I’m really proud of the students. They’ve put a lot of time and effort into their projects, and working through the process of reading new things and connecting with what they already know was definitely a big learning experience for them. I appreciate them taking risks outside of their comfort zone, and was excited to make this event happen.”

As the school year comes to an end, the fifth graders are not only advancing in their own knowledge but also the entire community here in DIS.