by Austin D. ’16
First Friday is a once-a-month current event lesson that Mrs. Amy Miller, US history teacher, implements in her classroom. It’s a fan-favorite, and students enjoy and respond to these First Friday lessons. However, this year, Mrs. Miller changed the name of these lessons to Newsbreak!, which came to be a “grievous” and “uproarious” change. Below is one student’s take on these favorite lessons.
During this school year, the name of Mrs. Miller’s celebrated monthly event was changed from First Friday to Newsbreak! The students grieved; however, the event itself is a noteworthy and innovative break from the past and a welcome change, bringing laughter and healthy rivalry to current events.
At least once a month, students have the opportunity to construct and lead casual but meaningful current-event discussions during one of their classes. Each student chooses a topic from a credible news source, writes a short summary of the report, and formulates critical thinking questions. Then, if the topic is chosen by a class majority vote, the prepared questions incite casual but stimulating conversations amongst the classmates. And of course, the class brings in food to stimulate their brains and invigorate discussion over the crunch of potato chips.
Newsbreak! is cherished by students for its involvement of current events, the diversity of opinion present during discussion and the competition prominent in dissent, the “open environment to express yourself,” and the “educational break from class in which food is involved.” Backed by Mrs. Miller’s moderation of the discussion and joyous laughter, Newsbreak! is a different way for we, the students, to exercise our brains in a meaningful, informed, and nourishing way.