NHS Student Magazine - March 2022 - Mizzou Academy

MIZZOU• NHS MAGAZINE

THE SNOWBALL EFFECT

Education

EDUCATION HAS NO FRONTIERS

BRIDGING THE DIVIDE

SCIENTIFIC OLYMPIADS

FIRST EDITION

NO. 01

•

MAR'22

Mizzou Academy University of Missouri

Salus populi suprema lex esto Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law

MIZZOU • NHS MAGAZINE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / DR. KATHRYN FISHMAN-WEAVER EDITOR IN CHIEF / ALICIA BIXBY EDITOR / SHIVI PANDEY NHS OFFICERS / SHIVI PANDEY (PRESIDENT), GABRIELA FANGANIELLO (VICE PRESIDENT) YASMIN CZERVENNY SCHOEMBERGER (SECRETARY)

CONTACT US Mizzou Academy University of Missouri College of Education & Human Development 303 Townsend Hall Columbia, Missouri 65211 U.S.A. 855-256-4975 Fax: 573-884-9665 mizzouacademy@missouri.edu

Editor In Chief Welcome! to our first edition of Mizzou NHS Magazine.

We are a team of +200 NHS members worldwide. Each year we vote and select a cause that motivates our team the most. This year the theme is Education.

We plan to publish this magazine bi-annually. The first edition will be used by the students to chart their course of action or their vision for something that inspires them based on the theme. This will be published in spring. The next edition will follow before summer and will share the journey undertaken by the students while fulfilling the planned course of action.

We are excited to share our magazine. Enjoy!

Sincerely, Alicia Bixby

MIZZOU• NHS MAGAZINE

EDUCATION

CONTENTS 01 Bridging The Divide Shivi Pandey

03 Helping To Understand Thiago Campos

Jessica Wilde shares how to overcome writer's block.

Story on p. 20

05 Inclusion On Ice Ava Fleury

07 Education Has No Frontiers Felipe Moraes 09 The Snowball Effect Gabriela Fanganiello 11 Foreign Language Diogo Goto 13 Raising Thinkers Alícia Barbosa 15 Education & Society Leonardo Borges 17 A Second Language Fernanda Takeuti & Isabela Pozza 19 Scientific Olympiads Pedro Araujo 21 Teaching English Bárbara Meirelles 23 Staying Fit And Education Ana Yamamoto 25 Learning To Learn Gabriela Cutrim

BRIDGING THE DIVIDE Bridging the social disconnect through education.

SOCIAL DISCONNECT I was in India when the pandemic surprised us. Through my efforts to help the underprivileged here, I came to learn about their issues firsthand. These experiences have led me to believe that the root of their problem is poverty and subsequently, the lack of education has socially disconnected them.

For example, at the onset of lockdown, I noticed that the housekeeping staff of my residential complex continued their work despite the transportation halt. Upon inquiring, I learnt that the government had given them special permission to commute to work by foot. For some, that meant an hour of walk each way. Further, I found out that although the government had subsidized covid health insurance for them, they were not availing it, as they were unaware of the concept of insurance. Even if they were aware, they lacked the education to fill the required forms.

Page 01

Similarly, during another campaign for mental health awareness, I found that the government had designated mental health care to be free for those below the poverty line, but here too, they were unaware of their rights to avail it. Once again, even if they were aware, they lacked the education to fulfill all the procedures, such as obtaining a required government ID card.

It’s not that the problem is going unnoticed. There are a lot of volunteers and NGOs trying their best. But it is a divide that is too big and many of the underprivileged are falling through the crack. Moreover, the underprivileged people lack the awareness of who to reach out to, be it NGOs or volunteers, for help. Together, I feel this creates a deep social disconnect, stemming from lack of education, between the underprivileged and the government and even amongst themselves.

Hi, I’m Shivi Pandey. I’m a senior at Mizzou and this year’s NHS President. I’m from America, grew up in Canada, and now visiting India. A little bit about me is that I enjoy playing tennis, writing articles, & watching movies in my spare time.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC PLATFORM I feel the underprivileged are trapped in a poverty cycle. Their poverty prevents them from accessing resources and education, which further inhibits them from connecting with government or one another. Due to this, welfare does not seem to be reaching them, while charity can only last so long. Hence, they are struggling to find a way out.

I am inspired to help them break free. I think this can be done by providing them a socioeconomic platform that capitalizes on their strength in numbers and empowers them to be the hero of their own upliftment, in a pay it forward manner. Instead of donations, this socio-economic platform will provide them opportunities to be financially self-reliant, while also connecting better with society.

In the short-term, this platform will bridge the social disconnect through creative means that are immediately accessible to them. This will provide them access to the much needed government sponsored welfare programs.

In the long term, this platform will attend to the larger issue of poverty by enabling them to be financially self-reliant. This will help them rise out of base poverty to access education and resources required for them to connect socially and break free. Together, the two-fold approach will provide them a complete and sustainable solution.

BRIDGING THE DIVIDE Looking solely at the short-term, I feel that the underprivileged need to be educated on pertinent government welfare opportunities to bridge the social disconnect and attain immediate relief. This involves informing them of relevant government programs, educating them on how to avail it, and directing them to NGO’s for assistance.

I feel technology holds the key to achieving this. Although they are not tech savvy, I have noticed they have smartphones and watch youtube. All of their faces light up watching a video. I feel that short animated video clips are the most effective format on educating them and holding their attention. Through these videos I can simplify the somewhat complicated government policies so they can understand and appreciate it. Through online tutorials and resources, I have learnt how to use an app called DOODLY that allows me to create such short, animated clips.

DOODLY video for Suicide Prevention Day: https://bit.ly/3eDkbRc

However, there is still an issue. Many of them speak local Indian dialects unknown to me.

To ensure that they can understand the video, I have also found an app called BLAKIFY which translates text-to-voice in multiple Indian languages. Together, these two apps have given me the tools I need to create explainer videos for them which I will use youtube to pass on. Here is a sample one I created for suicide prevention day: https://bit.ly/3eDkbRc. I plan to use these videos to explain the policies, educate them on how to avail it, and share contact information for local NGO’s.

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Helping To Understand Hello! My name is Thiago Campos and I’m a senior at Mackenzie Tamboré and Mizzou’s High School program. I live in Barueri, a not so famous city inside the state of São Paulo, Brazil and whenever I am fortunate enough to have spare time, my main go-tos are playing games with my friends, watching TV series and reading.

To top it all off, the way many schools teach math and physics has always left a lot of important details

behind,

unwillingly

convincing

many

students that they should just memorize a series of formulas with little to no explanation of why.

There are mainly two problematic scenarios to this approach: how students with difficulty get more and more left behind and how students with an

NEVER SAY NEVER

interest in the subject get held back by the

When the pandemic started, I remember thinking it would only last for

which does not include optional college classes

a week or two and then everything would just go back to normal. It was

like the American APs.

inflexibility of the Brazilian system of education,

quite illogical to think so, but I can’t blame past me for not counting what succeeded as a feasible event. My sophomore and Junior years were quite strange: everyone quarantined at home and watched online classes, while complaining about difficulties following the material and paying attention.

T o say that the pandemic made education a bit harder is only partially true, as it is an understatement. In a country where many people do not even have good enough internet for online meetings, the problems me and my colleagues faced are only the tip of the iceberg. According to INEP, only 72.8% of state and 31.9% of municipal schools implemented live classes. That data is even more aggravated by the fact that in 2142 cities, no municipal school adopted that system. What all of that means is many people were not able to have the equivalent to normal classes during the pandemic.

TO BE THE CHANGE Since I was little, I have always helped my classmates to understand the school content whenever asked and received positive feedback for doing so. There is a certain stigma to normal classroom time in which many people feel nervous and assume they can’t understand something without

trying,

while

also

feeling

too

embarrassed to ask the ever so frequent questions that pop in their heads to the teacher. Then, the Covid pandemic came in and many of those people felt even more difficulty with online learning.

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even

What makes this personally meaningful to me is that I have helped many of said students during the pandemic and I know those short video calls and explanations won’t be enough to help them recover what they lost. There needs to be a more dynamic learning environment, where they can participate even more and remember everything. Also, those people are from the private school in which I study , which means there are many people from public schools who had an even harder time and need a more intuitive explanation of school subjects.

Lastly, I would like to clarify what motivates me to choose both Math and Physics as my focus. Well, the first reason is the problem mentioned in the previous topic: Math and Physics both are seen as confusing, impenetrable subjects. The second is also quite intuitive: they are both very cumulative, meaning if you haven’t understood one thing and let it pass, classes will get significantly harder to understand with time.

THE PATH AHEAD My intention is to act on 2 fronts: teaching physics online to a wide variety of people and math personally at my school.

The idea behind the first is to develop a physics website with my friend Zezhou Wang. We are both working together to make the content the most intuitive possible and to lessen the impact of the previously mentioned problems on the students’ lives. It will contain many explanations and lists of exercises to help learn the content, all of that while being open to comments for students to ask questions with any doubts they may have. We have already started but we will still mobilize more people and add much more content in the hopes of reaching the highest number of people possible.

The latter is to teach two math classes at my school (as a response to both the aforementioned problems). In this regard, I plan to review the past years’ high school math subjects with students who are struggling and to offer a Calculus class to those who want to learn more, thus helping make my school a better environment for everyone.

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INCLUSION ON ICE ADAPTIVE ICE SKATING

ONE FOR ALL, ALL FOR ONE In Jefferson City and around the United States, there are several opportunities for intellectually and physically challenged individuals to enjoy the same extracurricular activities as their peers. For example, the Special Olympics is a nationwide organization that arranges training and competitions for intellectually disabled athletes.

A similar opportunity for me to volunteer arose closer to home at the local ice rink, Washington Park Ice Arena. The figure skating club at my local ice arena offers adaptive skating lessons for intellectually and physically disabled skaters. The coaches are volunteers who range from experienced figure and speed skaters to parents and college students who have a passion for helping others.

The skaters include younger children, teenagers, and adults. According to the United States Figure Skating Association, disabled athletes who participated in an adaptive sport showed “higher employment rates, were happier and enjoyed higher socialization than those not participating in adaptive sports.”

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My name is Ava Fleury. I am a Junior at Mizzou Academy, and I live in Jefferson City, Missouri, in the United States.

I have been competitively figure skating for the last nine years, and I joined NHS because I have a passion for education and helping others. I also enjoy reading, drawing, and cooking in my spare time, and I have been playing the piano for seven years.

SHARING LOVE I wanted to start volunteering because skating has provided me with an outlet, a purpose, and a challenge for growth and personal development in my life, and I want to give others the same opportunities. The Adaptive Skating program allows skaters to exercise and work towards a goal with the help of experienced volunteers. Recreational skating is a great lowimpact, cardio, whole-body workout. Without this program, the skaters would not reap the benefits of having a fun outlet to become strong and healthy.

Moreover, I wanted to volunteer because I always loved watching the adaptive skaters’ routine in the Annual Figure Skating Ice Show.

The skaters always look like they are having so much fun out on the ice, from their passionate smiles to the way they wave happily to the audience as they skate off the ice. For me, figure skating can sometimes be stressful and challenging. Every day, skating tests my perseverance.

Going back the next day and continuing to try is difficult when you intentionally throw yourself in the air only to come crashing back down a moment later.

However, watching the adaptive skaters, I am reminded of why I fell in love with skating and why I still practice every day. I wanted to start volunteering to be reminded of that every time I saw one of the skaters. They truly skate because they love it, and it is refreshing to see a skater who doesn’t care about competing or worrying about what anyone else thinks.

My service project is volunteering with the Adaptive Skating program at the Washington Park Ice Arena. Once a week, for one hour, volunteers like my younger brother and I teach the skaters basic skills, such as how to glide on one foot, stop, and spin in a circle. During the lessons, ice time is set apart solely for the skaters, so they feel safe during lessons. At the end of lessons and after the athletes practice hard, the coaches incorporate fun time, when the skaters and coaches hit a ball back and forth with hockey sticks, and the coaches pull the skaters around the ice in sleds. The skaters’ skills are highlighted at the end of the skating season (in the spring) during a recital for the skaters and their parents. Fun costumes, music, and skating come together to showcase what the skaters have learned.

Also, socialization is encouraged amongst the skaters, and the volunteers are always friendly. As a volunteer, I talk to the athletes about life on and off the ice. The social aspect of this program encourages the athletes, volunteers, and coaches to make connections in their community. This program also allows volunteers to do something good in the world and help the skaters achieve their dreams, creating pride.

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EDUCATION HAS NO FELIPE VEASEY ALVES DE MORAES

FRONTIERS

It’s safe to say that education was - and still is - one of the

Last, but not least, the final project being shown is a bit

most affected pillars of our society in the COVID - 19

different from the two mentioned above. Why? Simply

pandemic. Schools were closed, broadening the distance

because it was envisioned and made by the UN itself. The

between students and teachers, and in a considerable

Global Education Coalition is a platform

amount of cases, education was interrupted for many

protecting the youth’s right of education. It is hard to explain

communities, which highlighted the sheer socioeconomic

the platform’s actions and

inequality between different regions of the world. Moreover,

change

the lack of technology and internet made it hard for many

according to the organization’s own website, the Coalition

students to continue their education while at home,

acts based on 4 steps: matching on-the-ground needs,

especially those located in high - poverty areas. At times like

mobilizing resources, coordinating actions and providing

these, questions like ‘‘How do we avoid losing a generation?’’

distance education. Interestingly, this last step can be made

and ‘‘What can we do to bring education to those in need of

using high hi-tech or low-tech methods, as well as a no tech

it’’? float above our heads, unanswered. Fortunately , during

approach. Although the initiative has been created less than

the course of the pandemic, many communities and

2 years ago, its effects can already be seen, with

organizations have made a tremendous effort to shield and

approximately 400 million learners and 12.7 million teachers

maintain students’ rights for education around the

being assisted, and efforts like providing free internet access

world; this is their story.

to learning platforms in underdeveloped countries like Burkina

according

to

committed to

methods, solely because they

each

country’s

solicitations,

but

Faso and Mali, with the support of French communications On a broader scale, many global NPOs are also monumental

company Orange. Most importantly, the organization aligns

achievements in this battle for education, one of them being

an inflexible goal with a flexible strategy, allowing for major

Education Cannot Wait (ECW), a global fund hosted by

and important changes that matter.

UNICEF and that is committed to ensuring the right of education to everyone - as its name suggests - through

With the International Day of Education right behind us,

funding and mobilizing resources. The organization operates

talking about these initiatives is necessary not only for

from Ecuador to Bangladesh, based on windows of

understanding its existence and importance, but for bringing

investment that can change based on the situation at hand,

the whole world together based on a message of hope. If

and has reached almost 30 million children and 88 thousand

we’ve managed to conceive and continue a monumental

teachers across the globe, according to the organization’s

number of initiatives while being in the middle of a global

own website. Sudden or short-term crises are supported

pandemic, then we’re definitely taking the right step. While the

immediately , and long-term ones are addressed through

development of said projects over the next 10 years are

actions that last.

uncertain, there is one projection that is certain: 10 years from now, communities from all around the world will still be

Additionally, ECW has gathered support from all over the

creating programs like - or better than - this.

world, with partners that range from the LEGO Foundation to the German Government, which has recently donated €200 million to the fund. The grandeur of the organization is an undeniable proof of our strength as a community.

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The Snowball Effect ior m a sen llo and I’ ie nt n e a rr g u n c a briela F zil, and a ra G B , m lo I’ with ! u l São Pa Hi, guys d trave read an ghieri, in li to A e lp v te e n h lo at Da nted to f NHS. I use I wa sident o a c re e -P b le e p S o ic V d NH eet pe r . I joine ay and m my siste some w in ssion y a it p n mu e same th h my com it w d the worl around

FINDING A WAY

THE MAZE THAT IS SCHOOL Many students of both public and private schools in Brazil struggle to keep up with school. According to the Ministry of Education, the amount of students getting maximum grades in the High School National Examination (an entry exam to federal universities and other schools around Brazil) is decreasing, at the same time the amount of students getting a zero is rising. This could be because children are not getting enough help when the doubt first appears, which can add up to years of unclear topics, thus resulting in bad grades at vestibulares (the Brazilian universities’ entry exam).

This situation is particularly present with public school students, because parents usually can’t afford private classes nor can they help the student themselves. I know about this problem since I became aware my school provides subject reinforcement for its students, but I imagined how it is in most public schools, where no other class is offered apart from the basic curriculum. By researching, I found that there are some existing NGO’s that help local students with school reinforcement, but there is also online tutoring and apps for individual studies.

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I began to notice how many of my colleagues in my own class struggled to keep up with some subjects at school. As expected, I would help them understand what they couldn’t on their own, and as a friend they would feel more comfortable acknowledging precisely what they didn’t understand. After my explanation, I saw how knowledge is rewarding and how good they felt after learning something they genuinely struggled at. I’m not a professional tutor nor have an university degree, but you don’t need that to help people trying to learn the same thing as you. I love some subjects and I’m actually excited to talk about them, so to go through a topic with a colleague and lean them to understand something I love is extremely fulfilling.

Considering I’m able to teach something I know to people extremely talented and capable of doing amazing things, I started thinking about all the other students who actually can’t find this help or don’t know how important it is to make sure you get the most out of your education, so that you can use it to help yourself and others.

That’s when I decided to do something about it and reach organizations who focus on school reinforcement.

THE ROADMAP As a first action to solve the problem at a local level, my proposal is to tutor small groups of students (children and teenagers) at my church community. I already have a group of volunteers who want to tutor , and as diversity comes, I could find people who would teach different subjects. I, for one, would teach math and science (biology , chemistry and physics), while someone else is teaching Portuguese, Spanish or English, and History or Geography. The main focus of this project would be to help people with their struggles in specific subjects. For instance, if someone has difficulty understanding the vectors in physics, then I would explain the theory the most didactic way I can and give them exercises to solve, which is one of the most effective ways to learn.

As the time passes, this little “group study” will get bigger, and that’s when I will start to make social media an information channel for those looking for school reinforcement. I plan to add NGOs’ digital sites and information and make a public schedule for my own group of tutoring. Additionally, I will describe all the benefits of school reinforcement and why it is super important to check it out before the snowball effect attacks your education. I don’t plan, however, to post online videos or audio content of my own as a form of study, because I believe that technology can only go so far when it comes to education. As a pandemic student, I felt like not speaking directly to teachers or simply just hearing a class is way more stressful than being in a classroom and getting your doubts cleared right away. On the other hand, I will share possible sources for online learning, but I will not make this the priority of the project.

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Awakening of Interest in a Child for a Foreign Language

araná, rom P f m h a m Hig and I d fro Goto, e f t o o a g u d d io n a the e I am D recently gr y nd in m e Hello, r h e a it v e a I h talk w mic y . e o il d t n z a o a c e r a k B li he ideos ime I l, as t atch v in w free t g d Schoo y in n t m icipa mes a ar. In e part me ga first im the ye o t s e d h y t n seco e in s, pla in my erienc friend time. e exp . This h e t more b u d e T e n k o li e You I t a d rticip HS an d to pa the N decide I o s , time

SAYING YES TO ENGLISH In Brazil, proficiency in English evolved from a differential to a requirement, as result some companies don’t even consider people that don’t speak English. Due to the fact that English has become the universal language, as people from different countries use it to communicate. Also, English is very useful nowadays, as it’s everywhere, from the simplest things to the more complex and if someone doesn’t speak this language, he/she will have a hard time and might not be able to make the most of something.

Furthermore, English can open several opportunities that are incredible, such as living in another country. For these reasons English is an extremely important language to master in today’s Brazil, and children should be taught and appreciated, as much as other subjects, like math, science, and Portuguese

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THE CLIMB AHEAD What motivates me doing this service project is that English opened several opportunities to me that I never imagined that I would reach, for example studying abroad, and participating in the Mizzou High School, but when I noticed it was right in front of me. Of course, it didn’t pop out of nowhere, I have been studying the language since I was little, and I had to dedicate really hard to reach where I am today and will have to work harder to keep improving.

For this reason, I believe that English can and will make a difference in these children’s life by creating amazing opportunities.

ONE STEP AT A TIME In my neighbourhood there is a public school, which offers education for free mainly to less well-off families, and I would like to contribute to the learning of the children that will start learning English, through offering some fundaments of English and presenting the benefits of learning a new language. In order to give the initial spark in their interest for the language and encourage them to keep studying because they can reach places they didn’t expected to achieve. Also, another way I could contribute to their learning is to assist the teacher not only to the lower classes, but also to upper classes if help is needed.

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RAISING THINKERS

Hey , I’m Alícia Barbosa! I’m a senior in high school here in Brazil Some facts about me are that I enjoy hanging out with my friends and reading

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS IN EDUCATION

THE THINKING PARADIGM For the past two years, I have been watching my classmates struggle to adapt to the new reality in this pandemic. I have come to notice that, even though my community was able to carry on learning among all of the chaos, many important things were lost in the way.

Now that school has come back to a somewhat normal state, I cannot help but notice how many people have fallen behind on key concepts from the learning material that are essential in college entrance exams that come at the end of 2022.

Moreover, I have been observing how students, after neglecting interpretation and critical thinking skills, have a hard time writing language exams and going through the required readings. After talking to some classmates and even teachers, I came to the conclusion that the past years have been rough in terms of understanding how well a subject was learned by the students. These observations have led me to think that students got lost in the way and forgot about the main objective of education: to raise thinkers.

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Among all this, the school is aware of the issue. They are glad to provide useful resources to the best of their ability, as well as the teachers. However, I believe the way to tackle this problem needs to come from within the community. This way, the results are more efficient and long lasting.

A SOLID FOUNDATION The aim to always try to think critically and the habit of reading have had an important impact in my life. Because of this, I strongly believe that the lack of critical thinking and interpretation skills are a huge educational barrier. Not only this, but it also prevents you from understanding other contexts and forming your own opinions.

I feel that I have the tools to help the people in my community struggling with this. This can be done by providing them a space to share their opinions while reading literary pieces of their choice and by encouraging the creation of independent study groups. This initiative will eventually reach the required readings for exams, but, for now, I believe paving the way with pieces that captivate them is the right way to reach the destination.

This is why I want to help my community: the combination of literature and study groups will have an enormous impact in their lives, both academically and personally.

BUILDING BRIDGES My plan to minimize the issue is to encourage students to be active influencers in their learning process. To achieve this, I will structure a book club to be held at the end of each month, where a book will be selected, read and discussed among the participants. This will create a safe space where prompts can be debated and interpretation skills enhanced. I will take book recommendations from the participants, teachers, and required readings for college entrance exams.

Also, I plan to take every opportunity that is possible and encourage the creation of small groups to study a topic of choice. For instance, I have done something along these lines in late 2021 when I organized a public speaking class to those interested. At the time, an important presentation was coming and many people were not aware that there are specific techniques to enhance your speaking. Also in late 2021, I started a workshop where I taught effective ways to organize your daily tasks. Through this, new skills can be acquired.

Similarly, I feel that working in groups is an effective way of building healthy group dynamic skills. For this, I can create a study group for exams and revisions, where peers can help each other in subjects they struggle in.

There is still one issue, though. All of these activities will take place in the afternoon, when there are no classes. Because of this, many go home and cannot return to the school building to attend such groups. To include these people, activities can be held online via Zoom or Google Meet when more convenient. This way, the book club, the independent study groups and classes will be able to reach all people interested in them.

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HOW EDUCATION CAN INFLUENCE SOCIETY LEONARDO HISAO HERAI BORGES

Hi, my name is Leonardo Hisao Herai Borges. I am a senior at Mizzou and a member in NHS. I am from Brazil. Some facts about me is that I like sports, especially chess. I also like listening to music and playing with my dogs!

The World is in constant change, within technological and

Subsequently, at school and through education, teenagers are

scientific advances. Therefore, mankind must be always

able to think about the great quantity of possibilities in our

adapting to new discoveries and innovations. However, we

world and how they can change and solve problems from

should analyze the principle of all development, which is the

their personal lives. Secondly, the main goal from school

process of education. So, the definition of education

usually is to give the keys for the students to open the doors

according to the Oxford dictionary is “the process of

which they need to be the best professionals they can be, this

receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a

is also attached to perform conscient citizens for the society.

school or university.” Thinking in that way, we should

Thus, education is a powerful tool to change the world,

consider the first ways that most people get in touch with

according to PhD Miranda Meents, “And education also has a

education principles, and those places are called by

history of fostering positive social change, by encouraging

sociology as social institutions, which by definition is “A

things like political participation, social equality and

social institution is an interrelated system of social roles

environmental

and social norms, organized around the satisfaction of an

stimulates the economy, gives different perspectives with

important social need or social function”, according to the

respect to culture and connects people.

sustainability”.

In

addition,

education

University of Peshawar. Between the examples of social institutions, it is outstanding that family is the first contact of

In other words, education has an important role for the

children with moral and ethical values, and it is at school that

development of mankind, since the results are normally less

those concepts are improved and empirically proven through

tangible or even intangible, it is what structures the base and

education. Thus, the schools use education as a resource in

the top of society. However, it’s an utopia to think that all the

the formation of students’ social character, molding and

existing problems can be solved with education, but certainly,

structuring their goals and habits, which both are important

education can solve most of them and guide us to find

for the individuals and to the social environment in which

solutions for the unsolved issues.

they live.

Initially, we need to analyze the progress of teenagers in relation to their development as human beings, as Aristotle used to say “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit”. Then, the student’s performance should not just be measured about their grades, but should also be measured in determining whether students can help socially develop their relationships around them. In that way, schools indirectly work as a link of discussions between people from different communities and cultures that are in the same city.

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Hi! I am Isabela Pozza, and I am a senior at Mizzou. If I were to give you some background inf ormation abou t myself, I would say that video editing an d chess are two of my fav orite pastimes.

I am from Brazil, and I am looking forward to learning and discovering new things at NH S.

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Scientific Olympiads A Missed Opportunity PEDRO HENRIQUE DE ARAUJO

My nam e is P e d ro , I a fi n is h e m 17 y d scho e a rs o ld o l in 2 R ib a s .

021 at , and I li v e in C o lé g io P in d a m of my h E m íl io onhang o b b ie s a b a -S P a re re a games . Some d in g , p and ch la y in g c ess. I w a n te d o m p u te jo in e d to m e e r NHS b t m o re d re a m s ecause p e o p le ju s t li k e I who ha me. v e b ig

OLYMPIADS, A MISSED OPPORTUNITY One of the problems I see in my community, especially in the schools in town, is that there is not enough encouragement and investment in scientific Olympiads. I found out about this issue because I suffered from it during middle and high school. I wanted to participate in many Olympiads but most of the times school coordinators didn’t want to waste time with that. In the last few years I saw some schools participating in more Olympiads, but I still feel it’s not enough, even though we live in a small town. The ones who suffer the most are students who want to receive honors and can’t because of their schools.

TIME FOR CHANGE My main motivation is to create better opportunities to other students who are really good in math and science and want to receive a lot of honors for that. I didn’t have someone to help me on that, so I want to bring that opportunity for some people.

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LAYING A NEW ROAD AHEAD My proposal is to create an organized coordination for Olympiads in my school. I'm planning to organize this initiative by bringing Olympiad-related content to teachers and students, like which Olympiads are available for participation during high school; when they are happening, and how to prepare for them.

Towards that I have identified the following three Olympiads that I wish to raise awareness about: Brazilian Physics Olympics Brazilian Public Schools Mathematics Olympiad Brazilian Astronomy and Astronautics Olympiad I wish to organize everything it takes to make sure that those students who want to compete are able to do so. I intend to provide support online so that students can access it as and when they hav time from school work. Also, I will make sure to let them know they can reach me if they need any in person help. I wish to provide them all the help they need.

It is mostly about raising awareness about Olympiads, there are several of them in Brazil, but many students never get to know about them. I will be open to helping any student who wants to get a medal or just learn more about a subject.

As I'm doing this project in a small school (most classes have 1 or 2 rooms), I can count on teachers talking to students about this project, or even search for students with the best grades and ask them if they want to participate in Olympiads.

It’s not a revolutionary project, but I am sure that it will help some people and make them happy.

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Teaching English

Hello, my name is Bárbara Meirelles, I’m 16 years old and I'm in my last year of high school in Colégio Magno, here in São Paulo, Brazil. I enjoy reading, baking and debating. I was very excited to do voluntary work during high school, but I couldn't do much because of the pandemic. Now, with the National Honors Society, I'm excited to have a new chance at helping my community!

AN INCOMPLETE EDUCATION A big issue in my country that is evident in my community is the elitization of education. While people that have access to good education are more likely to get high-paying jobs in the future, those who need to rely on public education many times can’t achieve the same.

That creates a cycle of poverty that keeps people from ascending socially and earning a better life. An example of this is how a good amount of job opportunities or educational opportunities require the candidates to speak English. However, not everyone can afford to learn English.

English classes are expensive and take a lot of time, of which many don't have. That way, competent people lose many opportunities because they don't have this requirement, creating a disadvantage that is even graver in these trying times to find a job.

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NEED FOR A CHANGE

NO ONE LEFT BEHIND

I noticed the importance of this educational issue when I offered the option of either tutoring or basic English classes to many possible participants of my service project. English classes won by far, even though it’d be a short amount, and that is not ideal for language learning. The reason for that, as I later learned, was that anyone can offer tutoring, but many didn’t even know anyone that speaks English. When I first started in the National Honors Society, I wanted to be of use to my community. With the privilege of having been learning English since I was two years old, I knew that is what I had in me to contribute to the people around me and work against this social disparity.

I am currently in my third week of classes, and I see a lot of progress in my students. I’m teaching 5 people, varying from 13 to 50 years old. They are very dedicated and smart, showing that many people in Brazil have great potential, but lack accessibility. So far, this experience has made me reflect on my privilege and my role in my community, and it has inspired me to do more every day to create a society where all can get a good education and equal opportunities.

Therefore, I decided to teach two months of basic English, with an hour long class every Sunday. I’ve printed homework and made almost 100 slides to teach with. My goal is to get my students to level A1 of CEFR language levels, including basic understanding, simple conversation and bare necessities of speech- a lot to achieve with no base, in only 8 hours. Nonetheless, it is already a big head start; one more qualification on the resume. They won’t feel intimidated by the language, and may even want to continue to pursue it.

YOUTH MAGAZINE

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STAYING FIT AND Hi, I am Ana Yamamoto. I'm a brazilian senior at the Mizzou High School program. Some things I enjoy doing is dancing, reading, writing, drawing and painting, besides hanging out with friends in my spare time.

EDUCATION

During quarantine because of the covid-19 pandemic

For those same reasons, we can associate

and online classes, I had depression, high anxiety,

this information with the benefits of staying

stress,

things,

fit for education and learning. According to

including school. All this for sure was harmful to my

Dr. John J. Ratey, an associate clinical

learning process and health in all aspects. However,

professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical

when I finally could go back to dancing and start going

School, maintaining good physical health

to the gym, it all started to get better. Going back to

improves learning in three stages. The first

exercise and staying fit after this helped a lot in my

one is developing the mindset to raise

mental health, improving my performance in school

attention and motivation; second, preparing

again.

and motivating brain synapses, the cellular

besides

losing

all

motivation

for

base to log and retain new information; and Maintaining yourself fit is very beneficial to education

third, stimulating the development of new

and the learning process. Science, and my own

nerve cells from the stem cells in the

experience, can prove that staying fit helps a lot for

hippocampus.

mental and social health. As we know, the health

prepares the brain to learn and ease

triangle represents the three pillars to a healthy life,

retaining information.

This

way,

exercising

social, psychological, and physical health. Thus, for an individual to be considered healthy, all three must be

An example to relate all this is a project

well and balanced, one depending and interfering on the

named "The Daily Mile," which is a project

other. That's why staying fit helps the other two

created with the purpose of children doing

aspects.

15 minutes of physical activity every day to improve their health and to increase focus

In

the

psychological

releases

and learning. The results of 86 countries

hormones such as endorphins and serotonin, which are

that partake in this project have been

crucial

and

showing that the initial goals of the project

psychological functions. Besides, they are likewise

are being efficiently achieved. Once again,

correlated to feelings of motivation, joy, and general

proving the consistency and benefits that

well-being.

staying fit brings to education.

for

the

aspect,

execution

Because

of

of

that,

exercising many

physical

staying

fit

reduces

psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and helps in dealing with issues like ADHD by boosting the brain focus-related hormones.

Page 24

LEARNING TO Hi! My name is Gabriela, I'm 18 years old and I live in Brasília, Brazil. I have been involved in several volunteering projects, which made me want to join National Honor Society and take part in many more! My other passions are planting, reading, teaching and specially traveling. gabriela cutrim

LEARN DID YOU SAY RETENTION ?

Have you ever spent all day studying a very complicated topic, but at the end of the day you

PRINTED VS DIGITAL

realized that you couldn't retain anything? This proves that just having study materials is not

Naomi S. Baron, Professor of Linguistics in

enough to do well in school, it is necessary to

Washington DC, has done research to support this

have strategies. With that in mind, NHS Magazine

theory. She asked 18–26-year-old students from 5

has brought you some tips that will help you learn

different countries which material they focused best on. The response of 92% of respondents was

more efficiently and quickly.

“printed materials”. Digital reading hinders the reader's concentration, since the interactivity that

ACTIVE RECALL

is offered makes the individual always want to

Active Recall consists of testing your memory by trying to remember what you just learned. It can be writing down or explaining to someone else, the important thing is to remember without

“scroll forward”, even without fully understanding what they have read. This makes the student waste time, as they are forced to reread the passages that were unnoticed.

referring to any external source. This technique was studied by Jeffrey Karpicke and Janell Blunt,

GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP

scholars at the Department of Psychological Sciences of Purdue University. They divided 200

A mistake many people make is skipping sleep to

volunteers

was

study. According to sleep scientist Dr. Matthew

assigned a study method. Group 1 read the

Walker, sleep is your mind's time to cement

material once, group 2 read it four times, group 3

effectively what you've learned during the day. It is

made a mind map after reading, and group 4 read

also

the material and then practiced Active Recall.

between information are made. Therefore, keep

Group 4 was the one who managed to recall the

the balance between studying and resting and get

content the most, proving that Active Recall is

closer to success.

into

4

groups,

each

group

efficient for retaining and linking information.

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at

this

storage

time

that

connections