The Great Parker Cellection of 2020!

The research has been completed, the posters and videos have been posted, the commercials have run, the early polls from the Daily Cell News are closed, and now the final speeches are all that stand between these candidates and glory in 9th grade Biology. For President, the DNA/Nucleus and the Ribosomes square off to prove who is most important for making proteins; for Vice President, the Mitochondria and the Chloroplast go toe-to-toe to show that they are most essential for creating energy. These titans of cellular structure are determined to prove, once and for all, that they are the most important, and without them, the cell, the organism and, consequently, the world itself will collapse!

 

For weeks, Upper School science teachers George Austin and Kara Schupp have combined forces to cast their usual coursework in a relevant and timely new light with a unit merging the study of cell organelle structure and function with one of the most important current topics of our time, the upcoming elections. The students worked in groups to promote the candidacy of a particular cell organelle as being “the most important for one of two important aspects of cellular functioning” and created a campaign portfolio for their candidate.

 

Upper School student campaign managers began by thoroughly researching their candidate, from the structure to the function, its relationship with other structures and even disorders associated with it. Next, students created a flashy, attention-grabbing poster that paired visuals with a catchy slogan. Using this slogan and other information, the campaign managers had to work on creating materials, such as flyers and brochures as well as websites and other ideas, to get across their “policy stances” to voters. As often happens when tensions run high, a series of smear campaigns emerged. Sayings like, “chloroplast—more like chloro-trash” became common. Mudslinging ruled as competitors worked to dig up dirt on diseases associated with mutations or malfunctions of their opponents. Finally, as they entered the homestretch before the campaign speeches, students created as many extras as they could, such as buttons and songs, to help sway undecided voters.

 

At each step of this process, students evaluated campaign materials for the race they were not participating in. The peer feedback became the poll data and encouraged students to offer commendations and considerations while practicing their critical thinking skills. And now these passionate campaign managers have only one task remaining, one last chance to promote their candidate: the Monday, November 2 Campaign Speech.

 

Sharing his thoughts on Cellection 2020, Austin said, “The goal is to reach that sweet spot where students have fun competing with each other at the same time that everyone learns as much as possible about the underlying biological processes that are so essential to explaining the basis for life.” When asked on her thoughts, Schupp shared, “What I love most about this project is that it allows students to use the science content to be creative, to collaborate and present to or teach their classmates.”

 

It is no secret that this is a year unlike any other at Parker; however, students’ and faculty’s pursuit of educational excellence has not tapered off in the least. This creative, timely and engaging lesson from Austin and Schupp, matched with their students’ vigorous, spirited and rigorous approach to their campaigns, perfectly showcase Parker’s educational philosophy in action.

Click here for photos!