Photograph by Kathy De La Torre

Not Kidding Around: Middle-schoolers Elie Berkowitz (left) and Melisa Giles smile after completing their exhibition projects.




Students Show Their Stuff

Exhibition projects seen as benchmark of success

By Genevieve Roja

After eight long months, many students can call their exhibition projects "baby." That's because all eighth-graders in the Campbell Union School District have coddled these research projects--under the care of adult mentors--from the projects' inception.

First, the students had to pick a topic. Then they had to write a letter of intent and interview expert sources. Finally, they had to research, observe and present their projects. Students at CUSD's three middle schools, Campbell, Rolling Hills, and Monroe, will be evaluated by volunteer panelists on May 26.

Susan Zimmer, a former eighth-grade teacher who is now an intervention specialist at Campbell Middle School, helped pilot the idea of the eighth-grade exhibition projects four years ago. It was implemented into the curriculum a year later. Two years ago, it was written into policy that the projects become a prerequisite for graduation--no exhibit, no diploma. Though the work can be tedious and exasperating, as many students discovered, the exhibition project is viewed by the district as a benchmark of a student's success before heading to high school.

"It's an authentic assessment where students show what they do in a real-life setting," Zimmer says. "It's a celebration of leaving Campbell after nine years, kind of an experiment."

Many of the students chose topics close to home and heart, allowing them to become analytical thinkers and budding quasi-scientists and anthropologists. One girl at Campbell Middle wrote about her experience back East, making maple syrup with her uncle. A fellow student, Bobby Martinez, visited KICU (channel 36) to see the workings of a real television studio.

Noelle Paul, another eighth-grader at CMS, braved the stock market by investing in some stocks. She admits she had a loss, but has gained knowledge when it comes to mutual funds and IPOs. She plans to graph the highs and lows of her stock, Janus Mutual Funds.

"I always wanted to know about money," says Paul, who will attend Del Mar High School in the fall. "It's a little complicated, but I talked to our [family's] broker, and it was pretty easy taking it all in."

Every teacher is a mentor at CUSD schools, and oversees four to five students, with the flexibility to work individually. Most teachers are paired randomly or are assigned students. From October to May, the mentors and students meet seven or eight times, either at lunch or before or after school. Parents are encouraged to help their children too. According to Monroe's exhibit coordinator, Susie Pierson, the mentors are there to provide guidance and feedback.

"Many students say mentors are great support," says Pierson, who also teaches eighth-grade English. "Some use mentors in other ways. It's a real advantage, because our teachers are so loving and warm."

Pierson brought two of her charges today, Melissa Giles and Elie Berkowitz, to talk about their projects. Both seem excited about their projects, and it's clear they know their subject material well. Giles wrote a research report on breast cancer, while Berkowitz chose to explore how three Jewish actors exemplify tzedaka, the Jewish belief of goodness and stewardship.

Giles chose breast cancer, because her grandmother was diagnosed in 1998 and passed away soon after. Although she loves art and drawing, she wanted to focus on something that would make an impact.

"I hope to learn about breast cancer--even at my own age," says Giles, 13. "I want to prevent myself from getting breast cancer and educate my family."

In order to achieve that, Giles cleared many exasperating hurdles, such as compiling succinct information on such a broad and extensive subject. The journey was well worth it. She discovered that diet has a profound effect on preventing breast cancer.

"Certain foods lower risk," says Giles, who is headed for Del Mar High School. "Certain fats and food. Soy I know helps, [and] fiber, vitamin D, and foods without preservatives."

And she knows that it's important to perform a monthly self-exam to detect any lumps, cysts and other irregularities in the breasts. Giles also learned that while there's no specific exercise that prevents cancer, exercising does help.

She used a mannequin in the videotaped portion of her project to illustrate many of her findings about breast cancer. In the videotape, Giles also used the mannequin to demonstrate how to perform a self-exam. Students must incorporate technology into their 10- to 15-minute presentations.

They must also use a primary source. So Giles talked to Jennifer Tracy of the American Cancer Society and Myrna Rolff, a teacher at Monroe who was diagnosed recently with breast cancer.

Elie Berkowitz didn't have to look too far for his topic, choosing to follow his passion: acting. He had heard of famous Jewish actors who were practicing tzedaka, and set out to study them at length. He also wanted to set the record straight about the meaning of tzedaka.

"People interpret it to mean donating money," Berkowitz says. "It's about donating time, doing anything that will help someone."

His parents couldn't be more thrilled about their son's topic.

"They like the idea [of exploring tzedaka] very much," Berkowitz says. "My dad's a rabbi and my mom's a Judaism Studies teacher. They're both happy I chose this topic. They've been very helpful, supportive.

For his project, Berkowitz studied actress Bette Midler, who has championed several environmental causes; director Steven Spielberg; and actress-singer Barbra Streisand. For expert advice, Berkowitz sought the help of Laurel Perelman-Cohen, the director at the acting camp Berkowitz first attended when he was 7. Perelman-Cohen runs the summer acting camp at the Jewish Community Center in Los Gatos, and is the drama teacher at Lynbrook High School in San Jose.

Instead of interviewing another expert, Berkowitz turned to his Jewish peers at his Hebrew school at the Congregation Beth David synagogue in Saratoga. He distributed a survey, asking them questions and what they thought tzedaka meant. Did they know?

"Some kids did," says Berkowitz, who plans to continue acting at Gunn High School in Palo Alto. "Some kids wrote 'charity.' Some put [only] 'giving money.' Some put 'money and time.' There's so much more to it."

Tzedaka is mentioned in the Torah but still has meaning for modern times, says Berkowitz. As part of his presentation, Berkowitz will submit an audio tape of his friends and him singing and acting out Disney songs for hospital patients and nursing home residents.

"They don't get out much," he explains. "We go and try to brighten their lives."

Each school will host the exhibition projects on Friday, May 26. Monroe needs panelists for two time slots, from 8:15 to 11:45 a.m. or 11:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. Contact the schools or the district office for a specific schedule. To volunteer as a panelist, call the district office at 408.341.7000, ext. 6254.

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