Sequoia Elementary 5th-graders showcase projects in International Baccalaureate exhibition

In Sequoia Elementary School's International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme, 5th-graders are required to complete group research projects that represent the culmination of their academic learning. In the interactive event held Friday, May 16th, student groups presented their projects to parents and community members, with informative displays including their "lines of inquiry," interesting facts, and "action plans."

Principal Becky Vichiquis said students met with local elected officials and other leaders in preparation for the exhibition. "Each group is focused on a project within one of the UN Goals for Sustainable Development," she said. "Students work in groups of three to develop distinct but connected lines of inquiry around one of the key concepts and then share their research and design action to work toward education and progress on their goal." Students met with Song Kim from the United Nations to learn about Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Congressman Mark DeSaulnier to discuss Clean Water and Sanitation. 

Project topics for the 33 groups included providing clean water to people around the globe, equity for all, and quality education worldwide. Mila Khatri, who presented a "Clean Water and Sanitation" project alongside classmates Adria Maier and Autumn Moreno, noted: “Every 15 seconds, an adult, child or baby dies from a preventable water-borne illness." The group interviewed Akberet Ghebremariam, who previously lived in Eritrea, Africa, about water sanitation there. They also communicated with the Raise the Roof Academy, which is working to improve education and health conditions in Uganda through water filtration and other methods.
 
Students Olivia Ashworth, Eva Jeschke and Morgan Ceballo focused on reducing inequities in their project, specifically researching racism, sexism and discrimination against refugees. They interviewed Pleasant Hill Councilwoman Belle La about the city's efforts to spread awareness about diversity through "Night Markets" that highlight different cultures. They also put up posters around the school with QR codes for more information and created a true or false game regarding their topic. Morgan's Dad, Brian Ceballo, said he was impressed by the IB program and this project because it required students to deal with "meaty issues" by "contextualizing them and doing a deeper dive."

Students Luca Chen, Alexander Bernstein and Landon Nielsen focused on providing quality education worldwide. They agreed that the project was fun, interesting and helped to prepare them for the rigors of middle school that they will encounter next year. "It was really fascinating to research," Alexander said. "122 million girls don't go to school around the world." Landon said that in some countries such as Afghanistan, girls stay home and do chores while boys go to school." To help improve access to educational materials locally, the group held a book drive for the Pleasant Hill Library.

Sequoia Elementary is part of an IB continuum in MDUSD that includes the Primary Years Programme (PYP) for elementary school years at Sequoia Elementary and Monte Gardens Elementary schools, the Middle Years Programme (MYP) for middle school years at Oak Grove Middle School, and the Diploma Programme (DP) for high school years at Ygnacio Valley High School to develop well-rounded individuals who respond to modern challenges with optimism and open-mindedness. More information is here.