STUDENTS at Queanbeyan Public School have been flexing their democratic muscles this month and writing passionately on a range of local issues, before sending them in to local newspapers as letters to the editor.
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The Queanbeyan Age received a bundle of 18 letters last week, written by students of class 5/6J. The letters covered a broad range of topics, from graffiti in Queanbeyan, to the development of agricultural land, to sports funding, car theft in Queanbeyan, pollution, dangerous bus stops, as well as a compelling argument for why homework should be phased out.
It was all part of teacher Anke Jennaway's Government and Democracy unit that the year five and six students have been studying this term.
Relief teacher Vivian Harris then took over the teaching while Mrs Jennaway went on leave, and asked the students to think of an issue they felt passionately about, and write about it in a letter to the editor.
"One of the things they've been focusing on as part of the unit is democracy, and we talked about how that includes people power...and how you can be more active in community issues than just voting every three years," Ms Harris said.
"I asked them to write on a topic that they felt strongly about. Local issues were sent to the Queanbeyan Age and national and international issues to the Canberra Times.
"The only stipulation I made was that they had to suggest solutions as well, not just complain about something."
And Ms Harris said she was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm students took to the task.
"They were just so enthusiastic," she said. "I had kids coming up to me in the playground telling me about issues they were really passionate about, which was great to see."
The health and use of the Queanbeyan River was a particularly popular issue, with six students focusing on that topic.
One student, Alexandra, said she was keen to see the River become more of a focal point in town.
"I think it's a major part of Queanbeyan. It's in the centre of town and I think we should be using it as much as we can," she said.
"We had the River Festival about a month ago, and it was a really nice event that brought the community together. I think we could do that more often."
Another student, Lauren, made a case that homework should be banned as a way to get kids more active and help tackle childhood obesity.
"I strongly believe we should get rid of homework, so that kids become more active and social," she wrote. "Let's take things into our own hands and get rid of homework in Queanbeyan."
Teacher Anke Jennaway said she was proud of her students' efforts, and said they had also learnt the value of letter writing skills.
"That's something we feel is diminishing [in society], so it's important that they feel confident enough to get an opinion across," she said.
