Trailblazers Issue 11, Spring 2024

Letter from the Editors

HAPPY SPRING! We are thrilled to present a blend of familiar faces from our previous team and some exciting new additions. This issue promises to deliver the signature Trailblazers style with fresh perspectives.

In this issue, we will explore topics ranging from equity to skiing. These ideas are traversed through various mediums, including poems and videos.

Our team remains dedicated to amplifying the voices of young learners, and we are eager to continue our journey of publishing many more inspiring issues!

Thanks for reading!

From, The editors and the Trailblazers team

Letter from the Founders

It is time for education to be transformed. Schools were first created during the Industrial Revolution with the purpose of preparing students for factory work. However, we are no longer living in that time period; it’s the 21st century where information can be looked up in a matter of seconds, and businesses are looking to hire creative problem solvers rather than mindless factory workers.

With the progression of time, there should be a change in the purpose of school. In the transformed education model the purpose of school should be to: make the world a better place by engaging young learners in opportunities to be active change makers in society.

Over the past decade there has been a worldwide movement amongst certain educators to redesign the education system.

This community has been creating a new “school,” where students get to pursue passions, work with experts in different fields, and create real impact.

We are a few of these educators whose voices aren’t always heard. We are the “students,” though a more appropriate term may be, “young learners,” because we believe everyone is always a learner.

Education is being redesigned, and like any good design challenge, the designers must talk to the users in order to create impact.

Letter from the Founders

Trailblazers, was founded with the intent of sharing the work and opinions of young learners who are marking new paths in education.

We founded this magazine at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School in Atlanta, GA, in collaboration with the Mount Vernon Institute for Innovation.

We are members of the Innovation Diploma, a program that meets 5.5 hours a week to explore various ventures where we work alongside members of the community, business leaders, and entrepreneurs to create innovations.

Our primary goals are to build muscle and capacity as innovators, blur the line between “school” and

the “real world,” and leave the world better than we found it.

Because of our passion to transform all of education, not just our school, we created Trailblazers, a platform for young learners around the world to share their voices.

From, Abigail Emerson, Anya Smith Roman, and Kaylyn Winters Note from Issue 10 Editors: This letter has introduced readers to Trailblazers since 2017. We thank the founders for their guiding vision and for continuing to advise the team.

Intro

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introducing Spotlight Learners

6-7

Meet the Trailblazers Team

8-9

What Does Equity Mean to You?

10-14

by UP for Learning’s Youth Action Council

How to Love and Be Loved

15-17

by Eli Francis

Intersectionality

18-19

by Ava Ferris

Wishes

20-22

by PJ King

The Fish of Skiing

by Esme Kimber and Ace Irwin

23-24

About Us

SPOTLIGHT LEARNERS

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To Love and Be Loved Elias is an interdisciplinary artist from Central Vermont. He works in visual arts, writing, performance, and dance. He will be attending college this fall, studying visual arts and dance. Elias is a 2024 Vermont Youth Poet Laureate finalist. His poem essay “How to Love and Be Loved” won a silver key in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, with his poem “What is to Be Good?” earning an honorable mention. Through his work, he explores the meaning of resilience while navigating growing up as an autistic trans person. His greatest joy is sharing appreciation for the arts with fellow creators.

What does equity mean to you?

UP for Learning’s Youth Action Council (YAC) is an opportunity for youth leaders to develop their own power and empower others to effect change. YAC members meet monthly about their chosen advocacy projects. Middle and high school youth decided to make a video on equity in schools. This video submission results from youth asking and answering the questions: What does equity mean to you? What would you do to make your school more equitable?

About Us

SPOTLIGHT LEARNERS

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Intersectionality Ava is a junior at Randolph Union High School. Youth-adult partnership has made her feel valued, respected, and heard both as a student and person. It has allowed her to practice life skills, like how to communicate, facilitate, and action plan effectively. Youth-adult partnership motivates Ava to become a better student as well as a more social and professional person. Youth-adult partnership recognizes the unique perspectives, skills, and experiences that each group brings to the table. By fostering these partnerships, organizations, and communities, young people can be empowered to take an active role in shaping their future while benefiting from the wisdom and experience of their coworkers. Ava feels more ready for life and her career through being involved in youth-adult partnerships and believes that implementing these partnerships in more schools will result in a generation of people ready to make the world a better place.

Wishes Ever since he was young, PJ has believed in the power of education and wanted school to be a safe and inclusive space for everyone.

In addition to his love for education, PJ is a lover of animals, writing, and many art forms. His hope is to someday work as an animal trainer and photographer to help others find their perfect fluffy match. One of his favorite activities is taking photos of his own fluffy friend, a 13 year old cat named Dustin.

About Us

MEET THE TEAM Isis Ban

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Editor Isis is a senior at Three Rivers Middle College. She shares an avid love of cooking, reading, and language learning! After high school, Isis hopes to go on to earn a degree in International Relations with an interest in working abroad for the State Department. She is incredibly excited to join Trailblazers as Editor and proud to be a part of such a dynamic team!

Graphic Designer Mackenzie is a senior at Farmington High School. Her passions include volunteering, social justice, and academics! She joined Trailblazers because of the fantastic opportunities it would give to work on and edit a professional publication.

Mackenzie is incredibly excited to learn about the inner and outer workings of a professional work environment!

About Us

MEET THE TEAM Abinay

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Outreach Associate Abinaya is a senior at Farmington High School in Farmington, Connecticut. She enjoys volunteering with young children and her three language classes: English, French, and ASL. She enjoys socializing and is always striving for more opportunities to meet individuals from all walks of life. Abinaya loves birds and hanging out with friends whenever she can.

Graphic Designer Jiayi is a junior at Farmington High School and participates in various activities ranging including debate, crew, and playing the clarinet. She hopes to become an engineer as she enjoys hands-on activities. While she has an avid interest in STEM, Jiayi’s guilty pleasure is watching history animation videos on YouTube.

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Graphic Designer Selina is a junior at Farmington High School with a wide range of interests. From her passion for digital design to her interest in neuroscience, she loves to explore diverse fields of study. In her free time, Selina volunteers in the art community and enjoys unwinding with action-packed video games.

What Does Equity Mean to You?

WHAT DOES EQUITY MEAN TO YOU?

Youth Action Council

This video came out of several monthly meetings of UP for Learning’s Youth Action Council where the group talked about ways to impact youth and adults through a youth-voice focused activism project. This project is youth-led and youth-created with support from the UP for Learning adult partners.

See the video here!

What Does Equity Mean to You?

Part 1 What Does Equity Mean to You? (voice of Olivia Cieri) It means everybody no matter what their skin color is or what race they are, all is equal (voice of Isaac Toohey) Juneau Rich: I think equity is really acknowledging discrepancies and systems in place that automatically put people lower than say like a white person, someone who identifies as heterosexual, someone who is able-bodied. So I think in making something equitable, rather than equal, it actually makes sure everyone is represented and everyone’s needs are met.

Griffin Cieri: It means equal rights for all people.

Written response from Elle, a high school senior: I've worked in several museums before, and equity gets brought up a lot when discussing history. Oftentimes, the history of marginalized people isn't preserved well due to societal stigmas and discrimination, some, said group will feel like there's a lack of history they can connect to. I've worked on exhibits for pride history in museums while on summer vacation in Taiwan, and they always talk about how important it is to preserve/pay special attention to archiving and handling artifacts for queer people- specifically because of how rare it is (and therefore leading to a disparity). (voice of Ava Ferris)

What Does Equity Mean to You?

Kayla Loving: To me, equity means an opportunity for everyone to feel a sense of belonging. I think everyone deserves the opportunity to feel that they can be who they authentically are, and that is what belonging is to me and equity makes that possible. And so, it’s removing barriers in order for people to feel a sense of belonging.

Giada Willet: Equity to me means giving every person a fair chance at success no matter what adaptations they may need.

PJ King: Equity is recognizing the different backgrounds and different struggles people face. It is a little bit less black and white than equality.

If you could change one thing about your school to make it more equitable, what would it be? (voice of Olivia Cieri) Isaac Toohey: For me, I think everyone would agree with this, but more time that maybe school could start at like 9 or 9:30.

Juneau Rich: My school is very inaccessible for people with disabilities; you can’t even get into some of the buildings. It’s just very hard for students who have mobility aids or have invisible disabilities to get around campus and a lot of that is not taken into account. I think that is the thing, to make campus more wheelchair accessible and more disability-friendly.

What Does Equity Mean to You?

Written response from Ishaan, college sophomore: Equity for me means fairness and justice. It comes from recognizing that not all of us have the same vantage points in life and have our unique set of struggles and challenges. Something I’d do to make my school equitable is increasing programs that remove barriers to learning and academic success and an example of this that is currently being implemented is an iClicker loan program run by my school’s student government. (voice of Ava Ferris) Shelby: For schools to be more equitable would be for schools to not take themselves so seriously. Because, with people with disabilities, the first thing on their mind isn’t about getting their school work done, it is about just moving on with the day and getting it done, and so if schools took its work less seriously and focused more on the kids’ actual health, I feel it would be a lot more equitable for everybody.

Matthew Toohey: For me, I would make it so kids have more time to play around and get their energy out.

Giada Willet: I would make my school a more equitable place by providing better education and better resources for students who may need adaptations and for teachers to learn better how to provide them.

What Does Equity Mean to You?

Written response from Elle, high school senior: I think my school could do a better job at providing resources for queer people, not only just lip service and performative allyship because it feels disingenuous. Queer people often lack a safety net/specific resources for healthcare different from straight and cis people, and I think the school should implement those resources better.

Interested in submitting a video?

Visit our website for more information: https://www.upforlearning.org/youth-action-council/

How to Love and be Loved

HOW TO LOVE AND BE LOVED

Eli Francis

Trauma lives in the body. We harbor pain, the hurt of our ancestors residing in our bones; in our DNA. We inherit a life that we have to learn to crawl out of.

I am made to be broken. I am made to be torn limb from limb, ligament from bone. I am made for pain, and I know how to hurt.

Trauma is alive in my body. The way my chest tightens when someone raises their voice. My twisted spine, tired from taking on the world too young. My feet, straining to fly, held down by gravity.

The aching in my hips from when I was born and I cried so much my parents couldn’t stand to make me wear the harness the doctor prescribed. The dark circles under my eyes that must have never turned a normal color. The struggle of inhalation lingering in my lungs from when I came into this world not breathing.

Breathing was just another thing I had to learn.

How to Love and be Loved

I had been accustomed to pain, yet I still let myself get hurt. I was broken. It’s not fair how someone who’s supposed to love you can make you feel so small.

These last two years of my life I have lost so many people by figuring out how to be my own. I learned how to speak out. I accepted my queerness and was ready to start living as myself. I had always been good at standing up for other people, but now I had to be my own advocate. Not everyone liked this. I lost my father, my best friend, many people I had considered my family–and I lost myself. I believed now, more than ever, that I deserved to hurt.

It consumed me entirely. I didn’t see a way out and I didn’t want to anymore.

I got help. I finally started to believe I would be okay. One night, driving home, I was listening to a song by my favorite artist. It was as if she was singing to my younger self. “I don't say it enough // Grace, you are so loved”. Then, she was released. I grieved the girl I was, and the boy I didn’t get to be. In my grief, I let go of my anger for that little girl. I am not her anymore. She didn’t deserve to hurt and she deserved better than the pain I put her through. I can never hate the way I did back then. She will always be a part of me and I will always love her for carrying me through.

For her, I love. Because of her, I know I am loved.

How to Love and be Loved

I am made for healing. I am made for mending my wounds, for my heart to beat, my lungs to expand, and for hope to course through my veins. I was made with resilience in my bones.

Our whole lives are spent growing around injuries–or trying to undo the pain we were born into. But the past cannot be undone, and we have to grow despite our injuries; because of our injuries. With the pride of our flaws being a part of us. So, I was made to be broken. I learned strength from being taken apart and piecing myself back together. I learned how to love and to be loved. I choose to wake up everyday, to take the injury of being alive, because that is what makes living so beautiful.

Intersectionality

INTERSECTIONALITY

Ava Ferris

Each month, youth involved in the non-profit educational organization UP for Learning facilitate the Racial Justice Dialogue, a virtual conversation where participants discuss a specific topic centered on racial justice. One of the topics this year was “intersectionality”, and I wanted to share a little bit about what it means, both in society and in my own life.

Intersectionality provides a base for understanding how various components of a person’s identity and social positions intersect and interact, influencing their experiences and opportunities in society.

It is a valuable tool for understanding the complexities of systemic privilege, oppression, and discrimination. Identities are the little pieces that make up who we are, and include race, religion, gender, nationality, ability, background and more. Identities are multi-dimensional. Intersectionality acknowledges that people are not defined by one single category, but rather belong to many overlapping identities. It’s not always easy or fair to compare the experiences of each of our identities because of intersectionality, and how it changes so drastically from person to person.

Intersectionality

It is also important to note the level of social privilege that comes with each part of our identities as people, and to acknowledge how each of our unique mixes of identities impact us, especially across different spaces. For example, objectively observable identities such as race, ethnicity, ability and gender expression have different impacts on people’s life experience compared to invisible identities such as sexual orientation, values, and some religious beliefs.

Because it is impossible for me to speak on anyone else’s experiences, I will use myself as an example: I am a queer person, but first I am white and present regularly as a woman (although I don’t identify as such). By that, I mean that I encounter the queer experience both in queer spaces and non-queer spaces; however, before I am perceived as queer or gender non-conforming, I am perceived as white. This is important to note due to the intrinsic privilege that comes with being white.

In summary, intersectionality is a powerful and evolving concept that enhances our understanding of the complex dynamics of identity, privilege, and discrimination.

It encourages a more inclusive approach to social justice, and provides a valuable framework for addressing the unique needs and challenges faced by individuals at the intersections of multiple marginalized identities.

Wishes

WISHES

PJ King

An ode to an unloved little girl An ode to an unheard little girl An ode to a little girl that never got to be a little girl I write to you to thank you for the hecatomb you suffered I thank you for painting a smile on your face when you had nothing to smile for I thank you for protecting the little boy inside of you I thank you for protecting him when no one else wanted to Sometimes my heart bleeds for the little boy that was caged inside of you for so long No one heard his screams for help You would lie awake at night and listen to him cry in agony trying desperately to break open the cage he needed to be in You couldn’t let him perish in the harsh reality that awaited him It was safer for him in the cage than it ever would be outside, you knew he had to come out someday but maybe, if you waited, you could bring him closer to safety You wanted to watch him run toward the sunlight while you took your final breaths

Wishes When I look at pictures of you I see how lifeless your eyes were during a time they were supposed to be sparkling with gratitude of how magical this world can be But you never got to see the magic You were never fooled like the other little girls You knew it wasn’t safe for him and your life was more temporary than others you wouldn’t let false hope take over Piece by piece you chipped away so that you could watch him come out of his cage and walk toward the sun You fought off all the urges to lay down and surrender for 12 years Till you had no life left to give I know you weren’t done, you wanted to keep him longer You did what no one else could, you heard him suffering when no one else cared enough to listen and you raised him because no one else wanted a little boy You would wander your days robotically waiting till you could let him out Wear this, like this, do this, they spat in your face day after day and you let them You let them for me I hope that when you laid down to rest it was peaceful and easy Something your life never was I want you to know that although life out of the cage hasn’t been easy or fun

Wishes I’m moving toward everything you wanted for me And I wish you were here to see it I wish you were here to see that I’m becoming the man we always hoped I wish you could experience the new life I’m building for myself, for us I wish I wish I wish I am filled with wishes for you An ode to an unloved little boy An ode to an unheard little boy An ode to a little boy that has always been a little boy And finally, an ode to a new beginning, a life without bars

The Fish of Skiing

THE FISH OF SKIING

Esme Kimber and Ace Irwin Catching speed, I carefully etch my marks into snow.

A salmon of snow, speeding, swimming through a stream cutting into the woods Fishing for a success, a promise of completion, for moments of rest.

We wear our scales with with pride, the patterns of our schools, our fellow fish adorned the same Instead of running from the enemy, we attack it, spear first, fins fixed to our legs.

Crowds of colors flying through the stream, enemies and friends alike, spears and fins first.

Avoiding capture, through the reeds, I wonder What would happen if we weren’t hidden by trees?

The Fish of Skiing

Author‘s Note

We wrote this together, alternating lines, while we waited for our friend and teammate’s results in the Poetry Out Loud contest (she won Vermont!). We were thinking about how much there is to learn through sports and competition and how learning from experiences outside the classroom makes us more excited about what happens in school.

“Lone Skier” - photo credit Esme Kimber “Collaboration on the Bus” - photo credit Siri Dunn Ace ‘26, Esme and Siri ‘24 attend St. Johnsbury Academy and compete with the Nordic Ski Team.