The League of Women Voters of Needham and the Needham High School Social Studies Department are co-sponsoring Students Advocate for Change, the inaugural Needham High School Civics Showcase, on Saturday, June 11 at 2-4 PM at Powers Hall, Needham Town Hall.

The new civics education law requires all high school students to select a state or local issue and prepare an advocacy plan. At the Showcase, eleventh grade students will share their research, materials, and positions in a science fair type setting.

Needham High School students (and teachers) have been involved with Green Needham since our earliest days. Green Needham has supported their work, and students and student organizations have been catalysts and contributors on past and current projects.  The impacts of climate change are no longer in the future – we are experiencing them here and now.  So it is no surprise that the largest number of projects at the showcase address climate change and the environment:

• A tree-planting project in Needham, specifically graduation trees that students plant from the time they are in their first year of elementary school
• Adding solar panels to schools in Needham
• Electrify the Commonwealth’s vehicle fleet
• Government action for conversation and protection of the environment, as well as limiting pollution.
• Help to reduce pollution
• Improved conservation of energy and advocating for increased energy efficiency.
• Make Massachusetts more sustainable.
• Promoting that all new construction should accommodate solar energy
• Reducing pesticides
• To pass the 100% Clean Energy Act to improve our economy and consumption in our community.
• We are advocating for the Massachusetts 100% renewable energy by 2035 bill, aka Bill H.3288.

Please join them – and us – at Powers Hall on Saturday June 11th to learn about our students’ civic engagement.