The arrival of June signals the final weeks of middle school for Island Pacific School’s Grade 9 cohort. With the year-end kayaking trip on the horizon, and beyond that high school, first up is the presentation of their Masterworks project, the crowning achievement of the students’ time at the school.
“Masterworks gives students a chance to take their curiosity seriously — and to show the rest of us what 14-year-olds are actually capable of when we raise the bar instead of lowering it,” says IPS head of school Brad Carter. The project takes the form of a 15 to 25 page paper on a topic a student is keen on exploring, and also includes a 15 to 25 minute presentation to the school and even interested members of the public.
While six months is the suggested timeframe, for some students the project starts to take shape much earlier. This was the case for Kiana Cooke, whose Masterworks research was inspired by, among other factors, the school’s community service project which took place the year before. The work took her across the world to the East African nation of Tanzania where she began to learn about the many barriers in the way of girls trying to go to school.
“My community service project really opened my eyes to all the struggles that girls face. That started my passion for Masterworks,” explains Kiana, who partnered with the Majengo Children’s Home in rural Tanzania and the African Children’s Book Box organization to put together period kits and distribute them to girls in Tanzanian schools.
Approximately 130 million girls are not enrolled in school globally. Reasons for this are many and can include war and famine, while many girls are forced to miss out due to discriminatory views and practices surrounding menstruation, such as lack of supplies.
“After learning about the barriers girls face in accessing education, I felt compelled to do more than just write - I wanted to take action,” writes Kiana when describing the origins of her project.
Cooke adds that her family and their work abroad were also major drivers. Her grandmother Anne Pearson was the founder of African Children’s Book Box, a role now taken on by her mother. Kiana’s aunt holds a position with the International Organization for Migration, a division of the United Nations. She is currently on assignment assisting refugees in Afghanistan.
Out of these experiences her Masterworks project was born – Periods, Poverty, and Patriarchy: The Triple Threat to Girls’ Education in East Africa. During the summer before her final year at IPS Cooke began planning a return trip to Tanzania as well as Kenya, which she recently completed during spring break.
In the Kibera neighbourhood of Kenya’s capital Nairobi – the largest informal settlement in all of Africa with a population estimated in the hundreds of thousands – she replicated the period kit project for girls. While this is a vitally important step in ensuring girls can attend school, this time Kiana wanted to take her work even further.
“African Book Box makes these book boxes which are little portable libraries with culturally relevant books, and they deliver them to schools. I did that, but with books for girls. So they were about periods and consent and mental health and empowerment,” she says.
She recalls one moment especially, while speaking with a group of teenage girls in Kibera, which highlighted the uphill climb faced by girls seeking to pursue their education. “We were talking and I was asking questions about what their lives were like living in an informal settlement and going to school and being a girl. I asked if any of them had friends who were married and who were their age. And every single one of them raised their hand, when they were all 14 and 15 years old,” she says.
Though it can seem an overwhelming fight at times, Cooke says each little bit of progress towards helping girls access education is felt by someone, and over time will add up to dismantle the oppressive systems in place. “The challenges are immense, but I’ve learned that even the smallest action can spark lasting change… Talking about these issues, highlighting them so people can learn, encouraging people to help in whatever way they can, these things matter.”
“Big change doesn’t start big, it starts with a small spark, a quiet conversation, a single question asked by a girl who still believes there’s a reason to hope,” writes Kiana.
Throughout the Masterworks process students are guided by a teacher advisor from the school. Cooke’s advisor is Kari Marentette, who teaches Individuals & Societies and French. Kiana says while taking classes abroad last year Kari made an extra effort to ensure she was setup well for classwork, including tailoring assignments to the events and culture of Kiana’s temporary home.
“She was super supportive last year, so that’s when I knew that I wanted her to be my Masterworks advisor,” says Cooke.
While the sun is due to set on Masterworks and the Grade 9s time on Carter Road, Kiana says this is far from the end of her exploration and work pushing for education rights for girls. “I’m really glad I did it. It’s definitely sparked a passion for something I might do in my future. I don’t know what that’ll be yet, but it’s definitely going to impact my life somehow.”
Masterworks presentations take place from June 9 to 11 at Island Pacific School. A full schedule of all the consequential topics can be found on the school’s website.
