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What started out as a school project for a group of students at Winchester High School has turned into a passion for civic action.
Sophomores Cecily Canzano, Sofia Siciliano, Riya Karunakaran, Esha Bhalla and Amelie Thiery are all taking Active Citizenship, an elective at WHS that teaches students not only how government works, but to delve into an issue they would like to address.
“It really teaches you how to make a difference in government,” Siciliano said. “I think, as a kid, you don’t think you can make an impact, but this class shows us how we can.”
Students are allowed the freedom to pick their own projects and by the end of the semester, give a presentation on what they’ve learned.
But this group has taken it a step further.
Bacon Street crossing
While brainstorming an idea for a project, students found themselves wondering what were the most dangerous crosswalks or intersections in Winchester. So they put together a survey and posted it to the Winchester Residents Facebook page.
They got 72 responses that included Main and Cross streets, Cross and Forest streets and the Symmes Rotary.
“Most people picked Main and Cross, but that was on the Woburn border,” Bhalla said. “The second most responses was the Symmes Rotary.”
The Symmes Rotary is at the intersection of Main and Grove streets, with other streets branching off.
“Sofia lives in that area and we felt like that was the place that needed our attention,” Canzano.
Winchester High School students put this together after asking residents what they thought the most dangerous intersections in the town were and how to fix them. COURTESY PHOTOS/ESHA BHALLA
Siciliano said living in the area gives her a unique perspective on the traffic pattern, which is often hectic and disjointed as some drivers aren’t sure how to navigate the rotary. She said in the survey, residents were asked what could improve the area: flashing crosswalk, a crossing, a barrier?
“We were so excited by the responses,” Canzano said. “We didn’t think a lot of people would answer, but they did. The next thing we realized was that we needed to reach out to people for help.”
That’s when they turned to Winchester Town Planner Taylor Herman, who gives a presentation to the class each year. Herman also invites students for a tour of Town Hall and answers any questions they may have as they navigate their projects.
“The purpose of their projects involves local government and I help them get as far into the process as they want,” Herman said. “I want to show them how it works.”
In fact, it was Herman who suggested the students go before the Planning Board to show them what it would be like to present before a town board.
Members of the board were interested in the idea of a flashing crosswalk on Bacon Street to allow pedestrians a safe place to traverse the intersection, even though roadways are the purview of the Select Board.
“I jog in that area all the time and it can be tricky,” said Planning Board Chair Keri Layton.
A look at where a proposed crosswalk would go on Bacon Street, left, which students said should be a flashing crosswalk for cars and pedestrians. COURTESY PHOTOS/ESHA BHALLA
Vice Chair Brian Vernaglia admitted to some jaywalking in the area to avoid issues. He said he was impressed by the research students had done.
Member Diab Jerius also suggested students try to anticipate any questions boards might have and already have the answers.
“We were so nervous going in,” Canzano said, of the night. “It was a great experience. They really listened to our ideas and we got great feedback.”
What they’ve learned
“For me, this is how the process works,” Bhalla said. “I never knew how things got done in town, but now I see how I can help get it done. There’s a lot that needs to get done in town.”
Karunakaran said she didn’t know it was so easy to get involved in the town. She said students went to Town Meeting this fall and saw how the town operates.
“I never thought I could propose ideas and then have things get done in this town,” she said.
Canzano agreed.
“If you have something to say, you have a voice,” she said. “I certainly never expected that we would go before the Planning Board and present our project.”
Siciliano said at first, it was all about getting a good grade in the class. But something changed.
“Throughout the year, I realized I cared less about the grade and more about finding a way to get our project through,” she said. “I am very passionate about that now.”
Thiery said the most surprising thing for her was that people really listened to them, even though they’re just high school students.
“l was really surprised,” she said. “These are professional people and they were helping us.”
And taking them seriously, Siciliano added.
“We are the new generation,” she said. “These things impact us. We can make a difference and get things done.”
For social studies and U.S. history teacher Anne Marie Edenhofner, it is amazing to hear the passion in her student’s voices.
“It’s very exciting to see,” she said. “The confidence they’ve developed and the skills they have to do this. When they’re 18, they can run for Town Meeting and that’s not very far off for them.”
When the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) brought civics back five years ago, Edenhofner said all grades did projects. But those are more on the class level instead of what the high school does, which is individual projects.
She added the three years she’s taught this class, she’s been so grateful for the help that people at Town Hall, like Herman, have offered her students.
“Taylor has been such a mentor to the girls,” Edenhofner said. “He answered their questions, he really made the time.”
What’s next?
“We talk with Taylor and see if we can take it further,” Bhalla said. “This is only a semester long class that ends in January.”
But they don’t plan to let it go after the class ends. They’re still working with Herman to take their project further.
Herman said he has set up the group with Vernaglia, who will teach them about the financing and budgetary process. Once they do that, the group could be headed to the Select Board for a presentation.
Herman added one thing that’s important to note is that the town already has a project in the pipeline with the state for a redesign of the Symmes Rotary, which would include not only the rotary, but sidewalks, landscaping and easements around the area.
He said Winchester has submitted its 30% design to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for the multi-year, multi-million dollar project and is awaiting a response.
