Spotlight blogs celebrate excellence in our Learning Innovation Network. This Spotlight is written by Samaya Grant and Leilanni McGee, two 10th graders from Building 21 Philadelphia. Find out how biology students turned what they learned in class about vaccines into a flu clinic and overcame some fears in the process.
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children are more likely to get sick from the flu. Because getting the flu vaccine will help protect you and others from this sickness, we participated in setting up a flu vaccine clinic for staff and students at Building 21 Philadelphia. As teenagers, we really care about children’s health and we need help from older people to take care of ourselves. Here is what happened with our flu clinic.
How did this project start?
Leilanni: We came up with this idea from studying viruses, cells, and vaccines in biology.
Samaya: We also learned about Henrietta Lacks and how her cells were used without her permission, and she didn’t get any money for how powerful her cells were.
What problem were you trying to solve?
Leilanni: A problem that needs to be addressed is how most people don’t trust vaccines. People usually say this because of bad past experiences African Americans have had with the health community. This isn’t something that should be overlooked but instead, we should learn and grow from it.
Samaya: Students feared getting the flu vaccine because they thought something worse would happen. One of the students said, “They might give you something else besides the vaccine.” I was nervous as a student because I was feeding into what the students were saying; not only that, I was afraid of needles.
What were the most important steps in completing this project?
Leilanni: First, I had to learn everything about cells and how your immune system works against a virus. In class, I made models of cells and plant cells. We also made models of how different types of flu vaccines interact with the immune system. We were rated on SCI.3.2 Use the model to communicate ideas and SCI.3.3 Evaluate and refine models. We also made posters advertising the clinic while Ms. Scoratow, our biology teacher, contacted the doctors to have them come to our school.
Samaya: We made it happen by creating posters for the school to see, and we told everyone why it was healthy to get the flu vaccine; we also gave them permission slips to give to their parents for the parents to sign. Ms. Scoratow made the flu clinic happen; it was super cool that the principal allowed it.
What happened on the day of the clinic?
Leilanni: The clinic served staff and students at Building 21. It took place in the health center.
Samaya: The clinic happened on Tuesday, October 31st, the same day as Halloween. I sent my paper to get the flu shot a little too late but luckily there was enough for me to get the shot. Everyone had to be sent one by one to get the shot.
What were some successes?
Leilanni: During this project, we found success in creating posters to persuade students to get the flu shot. We had all of our information gathered and put onto these posters
Samaya: My favorite part of the flu clinic project was putting the posters around the school and seeing them every time I walked by. Eight students and 14 staff members got the flu vaccine, for a total of 22 people.
What is something you’d do differently next time?
Leilanni: Something I would do differently next time would be to add more to my speech to students to convince them to sign up for the flu clinic and take a better approach to try to persuade people and catch their attention.
Samaya: The change I’ll make for next time is putting more effort into the project. For example, I’d add more details to the posters, like images of cells so that people can understand what’s happening with our cells.
What were your biggest learnings from putting together a flu vaccine clinic?.
Leilanni: It didn’t hurt at all. Getting the shot didn’t even take long. It happened super fast. It’s just one small prick and that’s it. Also, you shouldn’t risk your health because of something that has happened in the past. If you don’t trust something you should look it up and find more information about it. Plenty of sources on the internet can give you information about vaccines and other health-related issues.
Samaya: One of my great friends helped me overcome my fear of needles by saying, “Just take a deep breath, and you won’t feel it.” And then my mother said, “Don’t change your mind because of what they’re saying.” I also overcame my fear by thinking of my family and friends and how they could get sick if I didn’t get a flu vaccine.
If you’d like to see the competencies Samaya, Leilanni, and their classmates demonstrated in their in their flu clinic project, please go here.
If you’d like to request a free consultation with Building 21 to see how we can help you make your projects come to life through the power of competency-based learning, please reach out to us here.
Author
Samaya Grant is a 10th-grade student at Building 21 Philadelphia. She loves reading, writing, and playing video games.
Leilanni McGee is a 10th-grade student at Building 21. She loves to read, draw, play video games, and hang out with friends.
