Commending the 7th grade class at Shawmont School and their teacher, Trudy Johnson, for their positive actions to promote safe drinking water within their school and community.

WHEREAS

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The Shawmont School is one of two Philadelphia public schools awarded a Pennsylvania “Learn and Serve” grant; and

WHEREAS

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Trudy Johnson, the 7th grade science and social studies teacher at Shawmont School, is responsible for securing this grant and establishing partnerships with Earth Force, a non-profit educational environmental organization, and the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education; and

WHEREAS

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The Shawmont students chose the topic of water pollution and began conducting surveys of area residents to assess their water usage habits and views about water quality; and

WHEREAS

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While gathering this information, signs began appearing in their own school warning students and faculty not to drink the water because of unsafe levels of lead. The students then decided to focus their project directly on the problem of lead in the drinking water at the public schools; and

WHEREAS

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The class undertook an investigation to learn about lead as a toxin, conducted research on the serious health consequences of lead in the drinking water, and reviewed the history of this problem; and

WHEREAS

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The students are now embarking on the civic action component of their project through the development of posters and informational brochures to educate their peers and the public, and through advocacy efforts calling for remediation for not only Shawmont School, but all public schools; and

WHEREAS

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Ms. Johnson and her students were featured on Fast Forward with Lisa Thomas-Laury as students who were making a “positive impact on their local environment; and

WHEREAS

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All of these students should be commended not only for their study and research efforts, but also for taking action to solve a very real problem that affects them and their fellow students throughout the public school system; and

WHEREAS

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Ms. Trudy Johnson is clearly a very special teacher who is not only teaching our youth about textbook science, but also is providing these young people with problem solving skills and is instilling in them positive civic action principles; now therefore

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA,

That we hereby commend the 7th grade class at Shawmont School and their teacher, Trudy Johnson, for their positive actions to promote safe drinking water within their school and community.

FURTHER RESOLVED

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That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the 7th grade Shawmont Class as a symbol of this legislative’s body recognition of their scholastic achievements and public advocacy actions.

End