This year in CREW Seniors are tackling the question “How do I become an active local to global citizen?” This first case study

addressed the question by examining social issues around the world and in the United States. As a CREW, students began

identifying social issues that could be localized to South Carolina and Lexington. Through a series of protocols and discussions, CREWs settled

on a specific topic and issue. Over the course of the semester, the CREWs experienced the problem, identified and

created solutions for the problem, and orchestrated an event to make an IMPACT on that issue.

This IMPACT Conference is the culminating event for these senior CREWs and will act as an avenue for discourse on a

variety of social issues.

We know that you will learn from these students, but we also hope that you will engage in discussion with the speakers once they have com-

pleted their presentations. Time has been allowed for a question and answer opportunity at the end of each

presentation session.

IMPACT Conference

8:15 a.m.—9:00 a.m.

Performing Arts Center

Welcome Reese Corry

Nicholas Colucci

Keynote Speakers

Gators with Attitude

Dr. Luke Clamp

9:15 a.m.—10:00 a.m.

Topic CREW Teacher Location

School Food A. Price Performing Arts Center

Drinking Age and Legal Incidents

B. Williams Lecture Hall

Making Obesity Obsolete B. Bacon A209

The Impact of STRESS on Teachers and Students in the Education

System C. Myers A210

10:15 a.m.—11:00 a.m.

Mental Health Funding and Awareness

P. Savitz Performing Arts Center

Leaving a Trace B. Moore Lecture Hall

School Funding K. Eason A209

Death Penalty S. Ganucheau A210

11:15 a.m.

Lunch

12:15 p.m.—1:00 p.m.

Leave No Trace: “Taking Nothing But Pictures, Leave Nothing

But Footprints.”

J. Ignet Performing Arts Center

Homelessness In Veterans

C. Higginbotham Lecture Hall

Animal Euthanasia C. Esposito A209

The Benefits of Dairy Milk vs. Non Dairy Milk

M. Assey A210

1:15 p.m.—2:00 p.m.

Prescription Drug Abuse K. Haney Performing Arts Center

Active Students J. Richards Lecture Hall

EL Education for SC: Bridging the Achievement Gap

J. Hinkel A209

“Straight Outta Swampton: Exploring How Where We’re From

IMPACTS Who We Become”

C. Stafford A210

2:15 p.m.—3:00 p.m.

Media’s Impact on Society D. Colston

Performing Arts Center

Judicial Injustices M. Reagan Lecture Hall

Self Defense S. Hulls A209

Police and Community Relations

C. Smith A210

3:15 p.m.

Debrief/Closing Ceremony Performing Arts Center

9:15 a.m.—10:00 a.m.

School Food Performing Arts Center How can students make an impact on cafeteria food taste while including local produce and still remain within national health standards? Students will be discussing the quality, health and tastiness of our nationally regulated cafeteria food. We will incorporate our impact on cafeteria food quality for River Bluff High School.

Drinking Age and Legal Incidents Lecture Hall Can reducing the drinking age lower alcohol related incidents? Lowering the drinking age to 18 can cause a steady decrease in the incidents usually associated with drinking. From underage drinking to DUI, lowering the drinking age will reduce legal problems.

Making Obesity Obsolete A209 Should the government increase food regulations in order to combat the obesity epidemic in America? The students will discuss their findings on the issue of obesity in SC.

The Impact of STRESS on Teachers and Students in the Education System A210 Are the demands of school, work, extracurricular activities and family life too stressful for teachers and students? What impact does stress have on home life, academic life, and overall health? We will explore the various components of stress, attempting to provide attainable solutions for students and teachers to cope with this daily challenge.

10:15 a.m.—11:00 a.m.

Mental Health Funding and Awareness Performing Arts Center How is mental health funded, is it sufficient and what can we do to raise awareness? Students will discuss mental health care in South Carolina. Students will discuss the importance of awareness as well as the issues surrounding mental health funding in our community.

Leaving A Trace Lecture Hall Who pays for graduation supplies, field trips, athletic fees, club dues, and other school expenses outside the classroom if the student’s family cannot afford what some might call “extras”? Chances are, we all have had to sell something to make money for our school activities. Think of the discount cards, candles, and cookie dough we’ve had to push on everyone just so we could be part of River Bluff and its many activities. We already know that schools provide students and their families with groceries and other basic needs through limited funding and a number of donations from the community and local businesses. But what happens if there is not enough to cover costs that give students equitable opportunities to enjoy their high school years? Who pays for that extra field study in science or the $5 for pizza in CREW—or even the $70 for prom? These are costs that don’t meet the basic needs of students yet give them opportunities to have a fulfilling high school experience. Come hear the solution the River Rollers have designed over the course of the last year—and be prepared to “leave a trace.” The Class of 2016 has a legacy to establish, and we want you to be a part of it.

to strengthen our own relationships with the hope that we can impact others to do likewise. So, hailing from The Bluff, aka: “The Swamp,” and obviously not from the city of Compton, we chose to use the popular “Straight Outta Compton” meme as an attention-getter for this crucial social issue. By remixing “Compton” into “Swampton,” we’ve summed up our topic in three words: where we’re from (“straight outta” is River Bluff (aka: “Swampton”), and we’ll invite our audience to let the positive parts of where we’re all from influence who we become. From the swamp in our back yard to the world we’ll soon explore after graduation, we want to IMPACT for good.

2:15 p.m.—3:15 p.m.

Media’s IMPACT on Society Performing Arts Center What is media’s role in societal reaction to major events? Students will discus how the media’s positive and negative portrayal of recent events in South Carolina impacted society’s response to these events, both locally and nationally.

Judicial Injustices Lecture Hall Does the punishment fit the crime? We will be examining the legal injustices that face our American society today. Our CREW will examine the war on drugs and how we punish offenders and the death penalty and how we see it used in South Carolina. We will also discuss a more centralized issue to our state, domestic violence, and its punishment process.

Self Defense A209 Would students benefit from attending self-defense classes in high school? Students will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of learning self-defense strategies as a means of preventing attacks and sexual abuse in college. Attendees will see a brief presentation of strategies to help escape potentially dangerous situations. Our CREW believes attendees will see the IMPACT of having a self-defense class offered in high school and how it could reduce physical violence.

Police and Community Relations A210 How can we make an IMPACT on the relationship between the community and the police? There have been many stories over the past few months that involve police brutality. This, rightly or wrongly, has broken down the relationship and trust between the police and the community that they serve. Our CREW believes that body cameras will improve the relationship between the police and the community because people will see the good things that the police do, and the bad people that are removed from the streets. Many examples of police behaving correctly may erase the few counterexamples recently getting press.

School Funding A209 How can we impact the allocation of funding to various departments in South Carolina schools? Students explore how various schools fund academic and non-academic curricular components of their high schools.

Death Penalty A210 How does the death penalty affect the state of South Carolina, our local communities and law enforcement? We will discuss many aspects of the death penalty during our presentation. We will present a brief overview and history of capital punishment, federal and state legislation, various methods of capital punishment and the execution process, morality aspects of the death penalty, and differing opinions. We will also discuss the connections to law enforcement and introduce our IMPACT event of supporting our local law enforcement and bringing awareness to the thin blue line.

12:15 p.m.—1:00 p.m.

Leave No Trace: “Taking Nothing But Pictures, Leave Nothing But Footprints.” Performing Arts Center Is the concept of “Leave No Trace” effective in helping preserve our natural environment and helping people of all ages enjoy the outdoors responsibly? Students will discuss current research and findings on the effectiveness of “Leave No Trace” in the state parks, including their personal experience at Dreher Island State Park. The intent of the research is to better understand the attitudes and beliefs state park visitors have about Leave No Trace in general, and more specifically whether or not they feel Leave No Trace is effective, appropriate or too difficult to practice. Students will compare the research and personal experience of the concept of “Leave No Trace” to local river cleanup and flood impact, as well as the practice used at River Bluff High School in order to compare effectiveness. Additionally, students will demonstrate proper hiking/backpacking and camping practices to emphasize the importance of Leave No Trace.

Homelessness In Veterans Lecture HalL What causes veterans to become homeless and who is responsible for supporting them? We will be discussing the external and internal factors that contribute to veterans becoming homeless and if the programs and services available to veterans are effective.

Animal Euthanasia A209 How can we help South Carolina become a No Kill Animal State? This topic will discuss animal housing and animal euthanasia and what can be done about it in the state of South Carolina.

The Benefits of Dairy Milk vs. Non Dairy Milk A210 Would students benefit from having natural milk as a drinking option offered with school lunches? This topic will address the negative factors of processed dairy milk and the likelihood that it could produce cancer growth hormones in the human body.

1:15 p.m.—2:00 p.m.

Prescription Drug Abuse Performing Arts Center Why is prescription drug abuse a growing problem with teens and pre-teens? What are the causes and effects of drug abuse? How do we inform society of this problem and how can we best prevent it? Our CREW chose the prevalence of prescription drug abuse among teens as our issue. As we dug deep into the issue, we learned that this is a widespread problem locally, specific to River Bluff. Our case study process allowed us to speak to experts in the drug counseling field, as well as medical personnel, law enforcement, and a recovering drug addict. We explored the issue further by learning about the Herron Project, a foundation started by Chris Herron, a former NBA player who struggled with addiction for his entire career. The IMPACT we made was adopting the Purple Project, a part of the Herron Project. We are excited to share this information with everyone.

Active Students Lecture Hall Does active engagement outside the school day have an IMPACT on adolescent development? H.A.M. CREW accumulated and examined data from many sources ranging from high achievers to incarcerated prisoners. The result may be surprising.

EL Education for SC: Bridging the Achievement Gap A209 Can EL or does EL actually make an impact and difference on school achievement considering many schools struggle? Many schools struggle with achievement creating a “gap” in the educational experience of students. In this presentation, we will be discussing how EL Education practice makes a difference in school achievement. We define achievement as not only academic performance but school spirit, school community and discipline. Through extensive data presentation, our CREW takes the position that EL Education practices do indeed improve these four areas of achievement.

“Straight Outta Swampton: Exploring How Where We’re From IMPACTS Who We Become.” A210 Should every child be provided an equally supportive learning environment? Our presentation will answer that question with a YES, but along the way we’ll also show a variety of environments (positive and negative ones) and the IMPACT these places have had on people all the way from popular culture to right here at home. We’ll share the personal story of how our CREW’s relationship helps us appreciate diversity, along with global stories like the gangsta rap group N.W.A.’s hit movie from last summer, “Straight Outta Compton.” Many people judge these street-poet-reporters for their violent and anti-authority lyrics, but we’ll show that the greater injustice is how these young men were violently harassed by the Los Angeles Police Department and how this abuse, prevalent in their neighborhood of Compton (outside Los Angeles), impacted the reactionary music they created. We’ll also show evidence that who these men have become is not solely defined by the abuse they endured—for example: Ice Cube is a solid father and husband, influenced by his positive parents more-so that the injustice he persevered through. The most riveting part of the controversial movie about N.W.A. is that their relationships define those young men far more than their struggles with prejudice. Our CREW has been inspired