Feb-March Advisor 2020 Online

MOBILIZING

FEBRUARY–MARCH 2020 CEA ADVISOR 5

WITH TEACHER’S SUPPORT, STUDENTS’ ENERGY DRINK BILL MAKES A COMEBACK Lessons in legislative process come to life for Naugatuck middle-schoolers

When science teacher Katrina Spina assigned her students an end- of-unit task, her immediate goal was to evaluate their understanding of key concepts learned over a three- month period. They had been looking at ingredients in energy drinks and their potential impact on young people’s health. “What started out as a unit’s summative assessment,” she says, “turned into something bigger than any of us could have imagined.” Spina’s students ultimately worked to pass a bill banning the sale of energy drinks to minors, and their efforts not only garnered the spotlight of the local media— including the Waterbury Republican- American and CT News Junkie —but also put them on the national stage, where they were featured in TIME magazine, The Atlantic , and the online magazine Undark . “I am so very proud of this project and the kids participating,” Spina says. Taking up the cause In December 2018, seventh-grade students at Naugatuck’s City Hill Middle School wrapped up a chemistry, digestion, and nutrition unit by taking a position on the sale of energy drinks to children. Teams of students prepared presentations, and the top two teams were awarded the opportunity to lobby their state representatives. “Representative Liz Linehan— who co-chairs the Children’s Committee—was so impressed by the depth of research and inspired by the quality of students’ presentations that she worked with fellow committee members on drafting a bill that would prohibit the sale of energy drinks to children under the age of 16,” Spina recalls. (According to the National Institutes of Health, a growing body of scientific evidence shows that energy drinks can have serious detrimental health effects, particularly in children and young adults.) In February 2019, House Bill 7007 was awarded a public hearing,

“We reached out to other districts, and another town agreed to help us out and offer their students this survey,” she explains. “We are continuing to gather data.” After seeing their story on social media, parents and others whose loved ones were harmed consuming energy drinks began contacting Spina from as far as South Carolina, California, and Tennessee. Some plan to travel to Connecticut next month to testify in support of the bill. Spina’s students also met with Governor Ned Lamont and Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz last year to discuss their bill and their efforts to educate the public about energy drinks. They lobbied legislators as well, in the hopes of convincing them to pass the bill when it comes up again this legislative session. If the bill passes, Connecticut could be the first state in the country to enact such legislation. “We are gearing up to go back to Hartford and lobby,” Spina says. “We have a hearing scheduled on March 3. It’s super exciting!” Watch for updates at BlogCEA. org .

Naugatuck teacher Katrina Spina (center) joins students testifying before their legislators.

and six City Hill students, along with their parents, traveled to the Connecticut State Capitol to work on getting it passed. “We were given a tour of the Capitol and Legislative Office Building,” says Spina, “and our students then testified and answered legislators’ questions. They received accolades from the Children’s Committee and a round of applause from the packed room. They also got to hear testimony from UConn’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity and the Commission on Women, Children, and Seniors, whose executive director congratulated them on their efforts to ‘do good for the children of Connecticut.’” The bill was two votes shy of passing, with two committee members expressing that they needed more information. Instead of allowing the bill to die, says Spina, Representative Linehan opted to hold the vote. “She fielded questions from our students on the legislative process and explained that even when bills fail, that doesn’t mean we should give up on our cause,” Spina says. “One student suggested creating an informational pamphlet that could be made available in pediatric offices. Our students’ pamphlets can now be found in schools and pediatricians’

offices throughout the state. Delaying the vote also allowed us to gather more data to support the need for this bill and hopefully get it passed during this year’s legislative session.” The work continues Working with Representative Linehan, Spina and her students created and distributed surveys to middle and high school students and parents in Naugatuck and other towns via social media.

Student Emily Fine shows Representative Russ Morin a flyer that she and her classmates designed to educate others about the health risks of energy drinks.

Naugatuck Students, Teacher Make Headlines Watch students testifying last session ( ctn.state.ct.us/ctnplayer. asp?odID=16004 ), see the news

coverage, and subscribe to blogcea.org for updates! • undark.org/2019/06/26/kids-energy-drink • ctnewsjunkie.com/archives/entry/20190208_will_ connecticut_become_the_first_state_to_ban_energy_drinks • time.com/5616059/energy-drinks-teens • theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/06/scientists-say- energy-drinks-ads-shouldnt-target-teens/592657

Representative Liz Linehan (third from right) meets with City Hill students Emily Fine, Amy Morrissey, Sahirah Rivera, Ciana Chirkout, Luke Deitelbaum, and Sean Davino.