By Martina Popovici, Mary Dinh, and Emma Montgomery
Henry Foss High School Students – Tacoma
Two hundred students from the Henry Foss High School’s ninth grade Biology classes came together in the fall to create their own COVID-19 public service announcements. Their goal was to send a message to the public to help answer questions about the mRNA COVID vaccine. Students were given the option to use whatever form of representation they wanted to send that message which included posters, videos, animations and PowerPoints. Some presentations were in different languages as well. A local physician, an RN, and the community engagement officer from the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department came and judged the students’ projects. They chose the top three that would be posted on the Tacoma Public Schools, Henry Foss High School, and the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department websites and social media accounts.
Four students were asked about their opinion on the project:
“This project was important not only for myself, but for my community to help give them more information understanding on why the vaccine beneficial to get, mayo clinic states, “The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is 91% effective in preventing severe illness with COVID-19 in people age 16 and older.” This explains how the vaccine can cover and protect a wide variety of age gaps even after getting the illness. You should still get the vaccine to become more immunized. Not only for yourself but for the protection of others.”
Martina Popovici
“This project was important to me because it taught me the benefits and importance of getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The purpose of this project was to spread awareness to the community about how the COVID-19 vaccine could help your body prepare to fight the virus. It is beneficial for everyone to learn about the COVID-19 vaccine since the virus is vastly contagious and can be very harmful to people who are not vaccinated. According to the organization “Our World in Data”, the percentage of death rates for COVID-19 cases is 50% for those who are unvaccinated, while the death rate is only 10% for those who are fully vaccinated. It is of great significance that not only the community, but that everyone else in the world should learn about the benefits of the vaccine so that we can prevent and reduce the risk of cases and deaths.”
Mary Dinh
“The COVID project has helped my understanding of COVID. I fortunately don’t know anyone who suffered from COVID but through this assignment I learned that the truth matters. Being able to research and arrive at conclusions on how COVID spreads and how to prevent it was one way to further educate not only my peers but my community.”
Emma Montgomery
Many students worked very hard on their projects and on getting the word out about the benefits of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Students sent a message and helped our community have more awareness and understanding on how the vaccine works and addressed questions and misconceptions our community may have had about getting vaccinated.