Social Studies Update: May/June 2026
Grade 8 (Tim)
The 2026 eighth grade Change the World Project is almost complete. On May 12, eighth grade students went to four locations around West Seattle to educate the public and get even more support for their work. Altogether, the eight groups found 605 people who agreed with their cause and signed informal petitions. These petitions were sent to city, county, and state legislators, advocating for change. Additionally, during the final week of classes, groups presented their project in front of a panel of experts. Below are the panelists for this year’s Change the World Project:
Wednesday, May 27th: Washington State Senator Emily Alvarado, Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka, LaKecia Farmer (Seattle City Councilmember Dionne Foster’s Chief of Staff), Explorer West Board Trustee Marc Ramme, and former Explorer West Board Trustee and President Eric Eberhard
Thursday, May 28th: Washington State Representative Brianna Thomas, Chris Lampkin (King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda’s Deputy Chief of Staff), Sage Lawrence (Seattle City Councilmember Dionne Foster’s Policy Advisor), Explorer West Board Trustee Adana Protonentis, Explorer West Board Trustee Sherman English, and Explorer West Board Trustee Amanda Keating
As I finish my final Change the World Project, I find it important to reflect on the real reason for this project. While some change is made based on the work of our students, the real power of the project is to foster each student’s civic engagement and voice. I often hear from former students who are out of high school that the Change the World Project lit a spark, and they have continued advocacy through voting, contacting legislators, protest, and all-around civic engagement. Our students are inspiring, and I hope that they inspire their families, future classmates, and future leaders.
Grade 6 (Daniela)
To wrap up the year, sixth graders learned about basic economic concepts like supply, demand, and inflation. We discussed the how and why the earliest forms of money, for example cowrie shells in West Africa and oyster shell beads in the NE United States, evolved into metal coins, paper money, and even cryptocurrency. Students also paired up to participate in a Mesopotamian Trade Game activity, and learned about the Silk Road and Hammurabi’s Code.
Our last mini-unit of the year was focused on Mansa Musa I, King of Mali who is still considered to be the richest man who ever lived! After tracking the price of gold for two weeks, discussing why the price changes and how to read related graphs, we spent our final day of class engaging in a “gold” auction to understand how Mansa Musa’s famous pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 CE completely destabilized the economies of Alexandria and Cairo with run-away inflation. (Spoiler alert: he freely gave away gold and used gold to pay local artisans to build housing for his entourage of thousands.) Have a wonderful summer!!
