Students Are Challenged To Change The World (NAPSA)—Kids have tremen- dous potential to change the world PMN and improve their communities, and a national program now gives them the tools they need to make a big difference. The Siemens Foundation, Discovery Education, and the Na- tional Science Teachers Associa- tion (NSTA) have partnered again this year to educate, empower and engage the nation’s students and teachers to become “agents of change” in the Sie- mens We Can Change the World Challenge. Over 2,000 children participated in the inaugural year of the challenge. The second year of this national sustainability challenge— now expanded to include elementary school students—encourages students in kindergarten through 8" grade to team up with classmates to create replicable solutions to pressing environmental issues. Last year’s grand-prize win- ners, Team Dead Weight from West Branch Middle School in West Branch, Iowa, included Jathan Kron (12), Justin Roth (13) and Brennan Nelson (12), along with their teacher, Hector Ibarrra. These students raised awareness about the dangers of lead wheel weights in vehicles in an effort to help phase out this hazardous material from thetire industry. Since the challenge, the winning team has: Lobbied at the Iowa State Capitol for a bill banning lead wheel weights and phasing in use ——=We=~% = mT Grand-prize winners Team Dead Weight in front of United Nations headquarters in New York.Left to right: Jathan Kron, Brennan Nel- son, Justin Roth of steel weights instead; Successfully encouraged two local tire service centers to stop selling lead wheel weights and switch to steel; Presented its project to the West Branch City Council and convinced the municipality to remove lead weights from all city vehicles; Presented its project to a global audience of students and United Nations representatives during United Nations Interna- tional Youth Day. Teachers, parents and stu- dents can find classroom andat- home Challenge resources at www.wecanchange.com. The materials are created by Discov- ery Education, a division of Discovery Communications that provides scientifically proven, standards-based digital content and resources to classrooms nationwide, and the NSTA, the largest science teacher organization in the world, dedicated to improving science education.
