In the last few weeks I have led a discussion with over 1000 high school and junior high school students on the islands of Saipan and Tinian. The discussion is on the pros and cons of the proposed Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. I try to get the kids to identify the good and the bad and then I urge them to talk to their friends, family and teachers before forming their own opinion. At every presentation I told the kids that their homework was to write a letter to President Bush commenting on the proposed monument.Over 500 of them turned in letters. They have all been turned over to the staff at American Memorial Park as official comment on the proposed monument.
Kimberley Vaillancourt, a science teacher at Hopwood Junior High School, took some of her students to American Memorial Park last Friday afternoon to turn over their letters.They watched Ranger Nancy individually stamp in each letter as an official comment submitted to the federal government. It was a neat little lesson in civics for the kids.