The halls of Locust Grove High School were a bit different this past Friday. Students otherwise dressed in clothes displaying their favorite brands or sports teams were walking around wearing homemade tee shirts with green handprints painted on them. A fashion statement? Not hardly. The tee shirts were made and worn in an effort to encourage questions and interest on the global crisis in Syria and the Middle East.

Mrs. Ellis and her students proudly display the “I am Syria” T-shirts that they made to bring attention to the injustices many people face in Syria.                                         Special photo

  For the entire week, Mrs. Ellis’ Government classes have been working diligently on research, projects, videos, and even t-shirts in order to, not only learn about the issues in Syria, but to raise awareness of their peers and the community. The classes have teamed up with the non-profit media based campaign called “I am Syria” to bring awareness to the conflicts in the middle-east while still highlighting the standards within their own curriculum.

  Although, prior to this assignment, the majority of the students knew nothing about the crisis that has been brewing for well over a year now, the young men and women of LGHS are now hooked on knowing more. Student’s professed that they want to learn more about the issues that Syrians are facing, and want to spread the word so that their peers will be equally well informed about the country’s injustices.

  In only a short amount of time, the student’s hard work and curiosity has certainly paid off. The “I am Syria” campaign has publicly recognized Mrs. Ellis’ class on their Facebook page, where they thanked the students for all of their efforts in fueling the cause.

  When asked why she chose to spend so much time on this issue plaguing the world, Mrs. Ellis said,

  “I always strive to make my curriculum as relevant as possible. Many students know their basic amendments, so I chose to highlight our amendments by comparing them to freedoms people don’t have, and Syria was the natural choice. As a result of the project my students are becoming more comfortable discussing world affairs and I’ve learned more about my students in the process.