Learning Across Kansas; 104; High School

(orchestral music playing) (bell rings) - Hi and welcome to I'm your host Cindy Couchman. Learning across Kansas is made possible with the joint partnership between the Kansas State and the Kansas Public This joint partnership makes and stay positive during a Today's episode is all about The power of one person can have to influence the environment, our world and our relationships. You're gonna hear from eight Starting with Caraballo in about the power of the boat. From Andover we'll head to Shawnee

and hear from Kyle Heileman and see amazing artifacts from his museum. Erica Shook and McPherson can influence change in your community. Stan Bergkamp Maize, he'll share and made a difference and Shannon Ralph and Gardner reduce, reuse, and recycle with a great tips on how to reduce. Kelly Holton and Eskridge really make a difference by picking up trash. Sherril DelaCruz in Topeka, random acts of kindness and We'll close with Sam, Neil and Bueller and the power of a handwritten note and the importance of recording history. So let's get started. The power of a positive - Thanks, Cindy. If our past indicates our we are set.

So many change-makers. Today we're going to look at just a few, and we're going to look of the 19th amendment. At the founding of America, Abigail Adams reminded her but no vote by 1848. So, National Suffrage leaders got together at the Seneca Falls Shortly thereafter, the state of Kansas gained its statehood. And women like Clarina Nichols had property rights, and the right to vote in school board elections. In 1887, women gained the right to vote in municipal elections. And a group of men and they nominated Susanna Well, joke on them because and became America's first female mayor. Alongside leaders like and Susan B. Anthony, the Kansas successfully gained the vote They went on to support

with leaders like Alice Paul Congress passed the 19th Kansas governor Henry J. of the Kansas legislature and passed it within two weeks. One of the women who took was Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker, and she was elected to the and served until 1997. She was the first woman to without following her husband. What can we do with these rights? So many people fought so hard for, in so many different movements. Well, you can register to vote If you're 18 and eligible. You can hold a voter registration drive in your school or your community. And you can volunteer for campaigns, whether they be national What do you do if you're for election day?

You can request an absentee ballot, or an advance ballot by mail Or some communities offer advanced voting at different polling places in the weeks prior to the election. I encourage you to go vote the November 3rd, 2020 election and now off to Mr Heileman. - That was great history Ms Ballo. Thank you very much. Welcome back everybody. America has come a long that the power of your voice We've made a lot of mistakes to get things better for everyone. The first beginning of the American Revolution or the We did so much to change things, and we had a great statement. All men are created equal, with life, Liberty, and the What about women?

No. What about people of color? No. What about native Americans? They were here thousands No. So, we made changes and we Then we had the civil war and you would think that battle but it didn't. And it had to be solved We were literally taking human beings and putting shackles on them We were literally selling as property instead of human beings. And if you were troublesome, a cannibal was hooked to so that you could not run away. But in the end, the civil war made a Literally, people are set and a new beginning started. And then if you skip forward, who has a wonderful dream the, "I Have A Dream" speech, but there's a secret aspect to that. That speech, that dream, is not for you.

It's not for me. It's not for any of us We've come a long way, don't get me wrong, but we've got a long way to go. Imagine a newborn baby, a beautiful child. This baby in the future will of its skin, its eyes, it's hair. It will not be judged on It will be judged as a human being. What can it do? What is it capable of? We've come a long way, Now you are a world changer. You have the ability to but you gotta stir things up people, You gotta ask questions, You have to get out there Or no one's gonna see your true And you have the potential to make things different and bring color to a world that needs you Be a world changer, I challenge you Look every day,

Thank you. - Kansas school buildings may be closed for the remainder of the academic year, but school is still in session. Keeping students engaged during this extraordinary for their ongoing success. We salute our teachers, who are committed to finish this year strong. We're all ready for our but until that time, Kansas students keep towards your goals Together Kansans Can. - The power of one, Each one of us play such an important role in making a positive change in our world. Each one of us plays a role, Just think of your favorite song. If you take one voice out of the song, or one instrument, the whole song changes. Making a change in our society, And you're about to hear from two teachers that have done just that. Starting with Erica Shook and McPherson. - Hello friends.

Welcome to my art home classroom. You know, anyone has the It doesn't matter how old you are. And my students and I love to benefit both our local Whether you want to do something or with your family. Or at school with your teachers, your friends, your classmates. What are some things that Could you collect cereal boxes What about books and pajamas You know, our first responders often encountered Could you organize a drive Or coloring books and crayons Speaking of first of really wonderful things Could you and your classmates cook a meal and invite them in their or a community center for dinner?

You don't have to just help people. How about planting flowers like my son Ryder and I did One of my absolute favorite I love books and I love to be able to share them with others also. As it turns out, some of my friends really like that as well. So, we got together to for our community. You know, there are a all over the world where you can borrow books. Do you have books at home that you could share with others? (Child running) Oftentimes, when my students and I are reading books together, we discover that there are topics that we wanna learn more about. For example, when we read about refugees and some of their stories, we decided

we wanted to learn more about And then we organized a blanket drive and collected stacks to share with those families during Kansas winters. Now here at home, my boys and I are reading about renewable energy. Things like solar panels and has some great ideas about those. - I'm excited to come to you and behind you is an when people realize the situation and they work together. I grew up the youngest of who only had an eighth grade education, but was a man or tremendous wisdom, always stressed to us kids of the things that you've been given. And your task was leaving the world a better place than how you found it. So, that was one of the and why I decided to join the Peace Corps

after I graduated from K state, and I served in Africa where I taught science. When I completed my time there, I started here at Maize and I've been here ever since. In the course of teaching I realized that we needed to change the way the electricity is renewable energy aspect of doing that. And so, behind me it's a solar array, And that is an example of In the course of this, when the board approved this, I've garnered the support alumni, parents, and businesses that have all become So, one of the things I've was that I could not but I could change my

And that's what you see behind me. So, this is my task that I is that you will reach where a path will choose you. This path chose me to go So, you can't change the but you go out and you change your little And if enough of us change that that's when change becomes real. So, maybe it's picking up trash, maybe it's feeding the hungry, maybe it's just supporting but go out and find your and make a difference. - Ready to watch the best of PBS anytime anywhere on nearly any device? It's easy, with a free PBS video app. Simply download the PBS or streaming device. Now you can watch the latest PBS episodes or catch up on the shows you missed.

Discover new favorites from PBS and local content from your PBS station. Get the free PBS video app of PBS anytime you want, anywhere you are. - What's a book that you've read recently that sparked a dream inside of you? Or perhaps a dream that you've had that you've wanted to turn into reality. We just heard from two great teachers that have done just that. Now we're gonna head to Shannon Ralph and Gardner Edgerton. She'll share about her dream, and how we can help with that. - Oh, Hey everybody. I was just filling my recycling carton 'cause today was our trash pickup and this all same day we do our recycling. Interestingly enough, our recycle cart, look how big it is, we usually I'd like to tell you why, meet me inside. Hey, welcome to my kitchen. So, one of the reasons my recycling bin is mostly empty is because we work really hard to reduce that we purchase.

The reduce is important for two reasons. Number one, it reduces that have to be made a lot of times using the burning of fossil fuels. And number two, it reduces that we have, usually packaging, which ends up in landfills So, if you think about I have some examples Let's talk about the main culprits. Number one of course, are water bottles. So, the easiest way to get rid of them is to purchase a reusable one that can be taken pretty much everywhere and used over and over. I've had this one for years actually. How about when you buy instead of this? How about you buy some concentrate and put it in a reusable pitcher. One time purchase, and this you can use it over and over obviously. How about when you go We have all of these plastic bags. Right, a lot of times people in the trash. How about you get some cloth bags?

We keep ours in our pantry Then we go to the store, Another thing, our straws, of course, rather than using the plastic straws that you get in so many And so, we have these in our car, we have these here in our house, and so, when you're done with them, even if they go in the Lastly, think about the Ziploc bags, usually those are one time use. We've purchased these bags, and you use them just like a Ziploc bag, but when you're done, these and will be used over and over and over. There's lots of things you can do, but it really means just starting. How about you take a survey in your house? What's one difference that you can make, to begin a broader change? How about we throw it to Kelly and see what she does - Litter is trash that's in places it shouldn't be.

Whether it's aluminum or food wrappers, it costs us millions of dollars every year to clean this up. So, let's see how you in your community by picking A little less litter on trails, in parks and on the roads, not only looks better, it is beneficial to our Often litter that is thrown ends up in our streams, rivers, lakes, and eventually the oceans. Not only does it look unsightly, it is dangerous to the animals, may cause harm to many aquatic species and litter spoils the water quality. Garbage is not only dirty, Many children who play in these areas are known to pick up trash, Broken bottles and other trash in these areas where we're Longterm pollution.

The trash people dumping now can stay in the environment For example, an average is estimated to take 20 As you complete a walking lunge, or maybe even a walking squat, it might just be the Recycling keeps the garbage Picking up those plastic bottles and cans and throwing them in the helps Toufold as it and out of our landfill. Takes less than 60 seconds to Easy peasy, and something or with friends. 10 pieces of trash sounds But it scales immensely starts to join in. Lead by example. Picking up a few pieces of litter might seem nearly inconsequential when you think about the big picture.

But it is something that feels tangible, and as a way to give back. So, be the leader, be that change, and I challenge you to go out and pick up those 10 pieces of trash. Take the challenge, make an impact, make your community better. - Hey parents, you're doing great. With Kansas school being turned into classrooms, parents and caregivers in their students' learning. This is a new experience for most of us. So, let's show one another a little grace. When you and your students or stressed, take a break, It's really okay. Keeping students interested is the key to success. Remember, you have an entire and teachers to lean on. Reach out. Together, Kansans can - Picking up trash. It's the easiest way in our environment. Whenever you see trash, or better yet, don't in the first place.

Reduce, reuse and recycle is a great way to protect our environment and can influence it. Did you know in the United States alone, we use 500 million straws a day. It is enough to fill 127, 40 foot school buses each day. In a year in the United States alone, that's a 146,400 school Speaking of math, Sherril is gonna share the mathematics - Hello friends. I know at some point in your life you made a positive impact on others. But what if you do a and each of those two will do a good deed for two more people in some line. We can definitely change the world by following the patterns. And the next thing you know, good things will be happening

(orchestral music playing) So, here's how it works.

You do a good deed for two people and each of those two will pay it forward by doing a good deed for two others, and in turns, telling It actually follows a mathematical model. Guess what it is? Yes, you are correct. It's an exponential model. Y equals to two the X, where X is the number of stages, and Y is the number of good deeds. Well, if there are 8 how many stages would it You do the math. I'm positive you'll get the answer. But wait, what good deed did you do today? Help us exponentially You can change the world with a simple human and a love mathematics.

Did I mention letter? Here's Sam, to tell us more - So, we've been talking on a large scale and on a small scale. And sometimes when I think I get a little overwhelmed, because I don't know where to start. But what I know as an our words are powerful, and I also know that throughout history, there are some primary sources that have been very what a lifestyle was like. What it was like to live during And one of the ways that we do that is through primary sources. A primary source is anything that happens throughout history, that is recorded by a first person account. So, that means that the person actually has to be present for It could be through a journal, It could be a national archive, it could be a speech or even letters that have

So, what do you need to write a letter? Well, you need a few things. You need paper or a card, you need a pen or a pencil, When you start writing, the first thing that you wanna do is make sure that you record the date. You want the month, the day, and the year if you hope for this to be something that can be used as a historical record. The second thing that is to have what we call a greeting. In this case, I'm writing my And I said, dear coach Thompson, This section is what we And this is where we write information that we wanna share with others. Our feelings, our emotions, things that are happening And we end our letter with a closing, followed by a signature. The next step is addressing the envelope, So, let's break it down.

You're going to need what at the top left corner of your envelope. You're gonna need your last name, your mailing address, your city, state, and zip code. You will then need the recipient's mailing address, city, state, and zip code. Finally, you're going to need a stamp. This can be purchased at or grocery store. Writing a letter to someone is something that takes but has a really big impact. So, I challenge you, to write somebody who needs Record your history, record your feelings, and send it their way. Were you like me, and wondered, who did Sam send that letter Well, it turns out it was me. Thank you so much Sam, for taking the time to send me a letter. It makes a difference. Today's episode was all about being a positive world changer,

and we had great tips from eight marvelous Thank you for joining us in learning Across Kansas today. Learning Across Kansas is a joint partnership between the Kansas State Department of Education and the Kansas Public I'm your host, Cindy Couchman (orchestral music playing)