Student advocacy in action at Kadena Elementary School
OKINAWA, Japan – When students are given authentic opportunities to use their voices, meaningful change can happen. A group of fifth grade students at Kadena Elementary School recently demonstrated this power firsthand by successfully advocating for the addition of microwaves in the school cafeteria. This initiative began with persuasive writing and culminated in a student-led solution that now benefits the entire student body.
“One day I was eating dry ramen and Eli wasn’t eating and our teacher inspired us to write a persuasive essay,” fifth grader Niam said, recalling how they came up with the idea.
Rather than writing for a hypothetical audience, fifth grade teacher Ms. Scullin suggested they take this real issue they cared about and communicate their ideas to those with authority to make changes. The students then wrote persuasive letters to school administrators outlining their request. In their writing, students clearly explained the problem, presented logical reasoning, and supported their arguments with well-considered ideas.
Greyson said that as they were writing they “realized there’s more to it than just getting the microwaves, we needed to establish rules and find locations with outlets for placement.”
Recognizing the quality of their work and the maturity of their approach, Kadena Elementary Principal Mr. Jefferson invited the students to take their advocacy a step further. The group was given the opportunity to create and present a professional slideshow to formally share their proposal with the school administrators, who asked targeted questions about their action plan. During the presentation, students articulated their reasoning, addressed potential concerns, and demonstrated strong public speaking skills. They also showed responsibility and foresight by generating a set of proposed rules for microwave use, emphasizing safety, fairness, and respect for shared spaces. Classes traveling through the shared space were able to observe the presentation and see how student voices are heard at Kadena Elementary School.
Following their presentation, the students received approval to move forward with their idea. However, they quickly learned that advocacy also involves collaboration and problem-solving beyond making a request. To turn their idea into reality, the students partnered with the school’s Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO). Together, they worked to fundraise for the necessary equipment at a recent PTSO-hosted family movie night and learned firsthand how community stakeholder partnerships can support school initiatives! Jaden asked parents at the movie night if they “enjoyed eating cold spaghetti?” This helped the donors visualize the students’ problem and helped persuade the PTSO to match the donations received.
The team procured two microwaves for the cafeteria which are now available for student use, providing a practical improvement to the lunch experience while serving as a lasting reminder of what student leadership can accomplish.
“This project exemplified the power of student voice and authentic learning,” explained Dr. Jennifer Boyles, Kadena Elementary assistant principal. “Through writing, speaking, collaboration, and perseverance, these fifth graders experienced civic engagement in a meaningful way. Their efforts not only resulted in a tangible outcome for the students but also reinforced an important lesson: when we advocate respectfully and thoughtfully, our voices truly matter.”
Eli summarized the experience best, stating, “The moral of the story is, if you work hard, you can reach your goals and eat good, warm food!”
