Social Studies at SBEC

One of SBEC’s diversified departments is Social Studies.  Students participate in a number of different courses and activities.

Elaine Jenkins, government teacher, took 21 students to the YMCA sponsored Youth in Government Conference held on February 9, 2012, at Getwell Road United Methodist Church.  Schools from the Desoto County area wrote and submitted bills to be considered by the Mississippi State Legislature. Three bills from SBEC were voted Outstanding: Carly Miller’s bill “De-Criminalizing Mental Illness,” Wesley Pena’s bill “Voter Registration in High Schools,” and “Personhood” submitted by Sebastian Galante, Matt DeBerry, and Jakin Delony.  Additionally, three students were chosen as Outstanding Delegates-Sebastian Galante, Charlie Moser, and Chase Waldrip.

Abby Johnson and Will Matheson represented SBEC at the presentation of “Pennies for the Holocaust” at Horn Lake Middle School.  The memorial to the children who lost their lives will be constructed at this location using the actual pennies collected.  The Social Studies Department led the drive to collect pennies.

This month the seventh grade has learned about the Industrial Revolution in America.  At the end of the month students will present three paragraphs and a visual on a topic of their choosing from the chapter.  The eighth grade is completing the study of World War II.  Coach Daniels and his father were invited to share the story of the coach’s grandfather who stormed the beach at Omaha Beach on D-day. Students then passed around the bible that he carried during the war.  At the end of the month these students will present their Decade Projects.  This is a group project that students have worked on since early January.  They were assigned a decade from the 1920s to the 1980s to research.  On the day of their presentation, they will have a class period to share the fads, fashion, presidents, headlines, music, tv or radio programs, movies, food, and sporting events of the decade.

Brad Gentry’s economics class has begun the personal budget project; Sam Pearson’s world history class is studying the Ottoman Empire and the Muslim religion; and Brad Kimberlin’s  Mississippi Studies class is investigating antebellum society.

Eleventh grade American history students are preparing posters to honor African Americans for Black History month.

Ann Tapp

Social Studies Department