Reviewing the amendments of the constitution can be a humbling experience.
Around this time each year, one could walk through Burr Hall and learn about the amendments from the colorful posters – including information on the amendment, a related court case, and a poll revealing how many people have heard of the amendment – plastered along the walls. With the campus empty, however, the fun of learning the amendments has remained exclusive to the Google Meets of the government students.
“I’ve always wanted to learn all the amendments,” said senior Chloe Warren, “and there were quite a few that I am embarrassed to say I had never even heard of before the presentations.”
One may see the occasional poll on Instagram asking if they know what the first amendment is, though the bustle of surveys within classrooms is postponed until next year.
“It was always fun to see the cool ways that people presented the amendments,” admitted Senior Ethan Gao. “It was disappointing that we weren’t able to see everybody’s posters because we were only in small groups.” The amendment project was always a school-wide learning experience, as the beautifully crafted posters were informative to the younger grades as well as the teachers. Ethan said that “the amendment project was fun because it was an opportunity to do art – something that is not just standard essay writing and textbook learning.”
The new online format, however, has offered the seniors new ways to present their amendments. “It was interesting to see how everyone else did theirs,” said Ethan, “especially now that we can use powerpoints and digital paintings,” Chloe said, “while it was fun to walk through the hall and admire all the beautiful amendment posters in past years, Mrs. Colborn allowed us to design our informational amendment projects in whatever way allowed us to best harness our creative abilities.”
Students were given the opportunity to present their projects across a variety of platforms, and the experience allowed seniors to gain a deeper understanding of the twenty-seven amendments.
“My classmates created engaging and well-designed presentations!” said Chloe. “It turned out really well, and I’m happy that I now know more amendments.”