Ellis Students Take Second Place in Writing Challenge
Students from The Ellis School took second place in the latest Fairchild Challenge at Phipps Conservatory, “Environmental News.” The writing challenge prompted students to select a current environmental event and write an opinion piece on it. Grade 6 students, Emma Gardner, Rowan Cain, Parisha Wilojanapa and T’Ana Moore wrote their entry on “The Decline of Bees and the Issues Corresponding to their Deaths” based on the NPR piece “U.S. Puts Bumblebee On The Endangered Species List For 1st Time.”
Ellis Middle School English and History Teacher, Dejana Smajic, introduced the challenge to the sixth grade class by sharing an article on pesticide use in France and asked students for their opinions. She emphasized the importance of making an argument clearly and concisely, and walked students through the process of researching a topic, choosing an opinion, and supporting a particular stance.
Students then split into groups and developed an opinion piece that summarized their chosen article and defended their point of view. After sharing their opinion pieces in class, Ms. Smajic selected “The Decline of Bees..” entry to submit to the official Phipps Fairchild Challenge panel on behalf of Ellis. Judged on the quality of writing and research, the Ellis team took second place, and as a reward, were asked join the morning radio show, The Saturday Light Brigade (SLB), to discuss the challenge experience.
The SLB shares the stories, ideas, and achievements of young people on air to foster creative expression, promote community collaboration, and support youth audiences in Pittsburgh. During the taping, the Ellis team was asked about their research, responsibilities, and contributions to the the project as well as general questions like “what do you want to be when you grow up?”
Ms. Smajic accompanied students to the SLB and shared how impressed she was, “I was so proud of the girls, they were very poised and well-spoken. The tangible recognition at the show proved to them how valuable strong writing skills are. It gave them a sense of confidence in their work, and reaffirmed the fact that their writing skills are progressing and strengthening as the year goes on.”
The interdisciplinary Fairchild Challenge project integrates and applies classroom lessons––like making a claim, providing evidence, and writing a thoughtful analysis––with education to connect students to nature through art, writing, and activism. Through this environmental science competition, students learn to thoughtfully form opinions, engage in global issues, and inquire about the world around them.
Click here to watch the Ellis students on the Saturday Light Brigade radio show.
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