SFHS Students write Letters to the Next President

AP English Language and Composition students participate in a national project adding their voice to the issues surrounding the 2016 presidential election.

As Americans are preparing to elect a new president this November, AP English Language and Composition students at Spanish Fork High School are tackling important issues with a writing project called Letters to the Next President 2.0. This project allows the students, and others around the country, to write letters about what really matters to them in this election. Their letters will be delivered to the next president and published on a website. Most students cannot vote, but they are very aware of the election and the issues that matter to them as they look toward adulthood. Even though they can’t cast a ballot, they can tell the next president exactly what they think through this project.

AP Language students at SFHS have chosen a variety of topics to write about, everything from the cost of higher education, to minimum wage, to abortion, and beyond. About the necessity of using GMOs to end world hunger, Mateen Lomax writes, “Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are given much more hate than they should. GMOs can solve many problems that face our society, without causing any more harm.” Colby Roberts writes about the need for the rising generation to have a direct voice in government. He argues for a Constitutional amendment lowering the age requirement to run for national office to 18. Megan Kay asserts, “Putting taxes on sugary products and drinks could be the solution to decreasing obesity and consumption rates nationwide.” These students have spent several weeks developing their letters through research and discussion.

Letters to the Next President 2.0 is a nationwide project sponsored by the National Writing Project and KQED along with many other partners. The first Letters to the Next President initiative was held in 2008. Spanish Fork High School participated in that project as well. “I love giving my students a chance to write to an authentic audience about the things that really matter to them. Letters to the Next President has provided that opportunity twice now, and I couldn’t be more proud of the hard work and effort that my students have put into their letters so that they could have a voice in this year’s election,” said Deon Youd, AP Language teacher at SFHS.

Check out Letters to the Next President at www.letters2president.org. The site will be available for the public to read the students’ letters through the inauguration in January.