Speaking Up: Washington Students Take Local Government Lesson To the Street

Third graders in Washington Primary School teacher Debbie Quiles' class are taking their studies on local governments and the services they provide to a new level by advocating for the installation of a traffic signal at Whitson Road and Park Avenue in Huntington Station.

"One of the lessons in this unit focuses on how individuals and groups can help change and improve their communities," Ms. Quiles said. "This lesson also gives examples of various ways communities were changed by one individual's idea and a group of community members working together to make that idea a reality."

Ms. Quiles said a "quick 30-minute social studies lesson has now snowballed into a letter writing and petition signing campaign, which my students have decided to undertake."

The youngsters have been gathering petition signatures and educating students, teachers and support staff about what they see as a need for a traffic signal at the intersection, which is located a couple of hundred yards to the east of the school's entrance on Whitson Road.

The third graders plan on collecting information on faculty/staff driving patterns and the number of buses and student passengers who travel through the intersection each day. "We are hoping to include all of this information, as well as the thoughts, feelings and opinions of each student in the persuasive letters we will be sending to the town, county and state governments," Ms. Quiles said.

Park Avenue is one of the most heavily traveled roads in the town and exiting Whitson Road to the north can be challenging at times. Local government officials are expected to visit the third graders' classroom for question-and-answer sessions and to receive the letters from the youngsters.

"Though the outcome of this project may not be successful, I'm hoping that my students will learn that they're able to create a better world through personal action, not inaction, and their voices, though small, need to heard," Ms. Quiles said.