For the first time since the disease project, the sophomores will join the freshman and seniors by partaking in a class project this year.
The sophomore project, titled “Be The Change,” consists of 20 hours of community service. Any community service hours served before the project was assigned will not count towards it.
“The community service hours from last year count towards students’ overall community hours, but this project is designed to help students get additional hours,” English teacher and “Be The Change” advisor Yiu Hung Li said. “Part of it is reflection and how you serve the community in this particular context, so therefore, the hours from last year wouldn’t apply because they were not done in the same context.”
Throughout the year, students have deadlines in which they have to turn in project logs that document the hours they served. At the end of the project, they will have to write a three-page reflection paper and give a presentation to their project advisor.
Li feels the project will be beneficial.
“I’ve known about the project for a few months now, and I personally feel that it is a great opportunity for sophomores to get a leg up on community hours, and it’s a good opportunity for them to see how they actually affect our community,” he said.
The project is causing a wave of different opinions coming from the sophomore class.
Many students think positively of the project.
“I was surprised when I first heard about it, but I think it will help students who need to get hours. It shouldn’t be overwhelming,” sophomore Travis Bindus said.
Some students did, however, react negatively to the news.
“I am disappointed that the hours from last year don’t count, and I think it will just overly-stress students,” sophomore Ben Stogsdell said.
Abraham Orozco feels the project will be a burden.
“I don’t think this will help students get a wider outlook on the community,” he said. “I just think they will feel that it is an obligation and that they have to do it.”
Some students also think that the project will change over the years as the freshman and senior projects have.
“Will it change? Oh, for sure. Just look at the 12th grade project. It used to be this.” Brandon Tomomitsu said.
English instructor Jason Dinkler, who created this whole project, said it may seem overwhelming at first, but should end up being a “cool experience.”
“I think if students take small steps, and get involved in a group that they really enjoy, it will start to make more sense and be more realistic for the student,” Dinkler said. “Starting from now and ending in April, we want students to work on what they’re most interested in. Who knows, you might even learn something about yourself.”
Editors Note: This article was updated at 9:54 p.m. on Monday, September 23 to clarify that this is not the first time that the sophomores have had a class project.
