In partnership with Comcast, C-SPAN’s award-winning bus engaged Aspire Charter Academy students in politics and civic engagement.
The C-SPAN Bus travels the country to promote and enhance C-SPAN’s extensive resources and public access to the political process.
Aboard the bus, fifth- and sixth-grade students learned about C-SPAN’s in-depth public affairs event coverage, their vast video library that includes 250,000 hours of searchable video, going back to 1979, and ways to connect with C-SPAN. Additionally, students were able to interact with the 11 touchscreen tablets, 360° video station, selfie station, and on-board studio. Lastly, students were able to take interactive quizzes that tested their knowledge of the political process.
“If we want our voices of education heard, we must teach our students to be their own platforms for making their voices heard,” said Diana Hubbard, fifth-grade teacher at Aspire Charter Academy. “It’s important that we expose our students to opportunities that allow them to interact with journalism and politics. They are the future politicians and digital world.”
The opportunity allowed students to expand their interests and gave them exposure to media, journalism, and politics. Scholars expressed that the mock interviews conducted by their peers, the Q&A with the C-SPAN team, and extra-large screen monitors were their favorite part of the experience.
“My favorite part was the excitement of the students,” said Hubbard. “Some of the students didn’t know what to expect and I believe the C-SPAN bus exceeded their expectations. They really enjoyed learning about everything C-SPAN covers in the world.”
About Aspire Charter Academy:
Aspire Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Gary, Indiana, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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