Monday, April 17 - 5 days before the March:
On April 22, 2017, we planned to march for science. Though we began with all intentions of attending the march in D.C., it became increasingly clear with finals looming in the next week that student participation would be minimal if they were required to travel. Our group decided that having student involvement was more important than making the trip, and so with less than a week to spare, we canceled our hotel rooms and decided to join efforts with the local march occurring in downtown Shreveport.
Tuesday, April 18 - 4 days until the March:
We immediately decided that our theme would be a version of "The Magic School Bus." We would have a bus driver followed by posters cut out as windows that could be decorated to the tastes of the individual, reflecting on an aspect of science that was most valuable to them. Designing a set of posters that allowed us to march together as a unit also resonated with the cohesive nature of our school as a whole, and our bus paid homage to the importance of STEM education.
This idea gained a lot of traction with many of the students, and we quickly organized a poster party and announced our plans to our classes and the Natural Science Division.
Wednesday, April 19 - 3 days until the March:
Several trips for craft supplies and many tacos later, we were ready for the poster making marathon.
Thursday, April 20 - 2 days until the March:
Thursday evening we began assembling our bus. We set up an assembly line, and with the help of about 20 students and faculty from many disciplines, we diligently covered boards with yellow paper, cut out windows, painted, made more trips for supplies, wrote, googled witty poster ideas, and glued for almost six hours. The bus was coming together.
Friday, April 21 - 1 day until the March:
One more trip for supplies, a few finishing touches on our bus, and a few more posters made, and we were ready for the next day.
Saturday, April 22 - March Day
As if to sympathize with those in bad weather at the D.C. march, the Shreveport forecast threatened storms as well, but we were undeterred. We loaded up in our departmental van and headed for the courthouse.
When we arrived, we began to assemble our bus, which made a bigger impact than we expected! We were videoed and interviewed by representatives from the Shreveport publication Heliopolis, and asked to address the group about why science was important to us. At the end of the day, we also won a $500 dollar award for the best poster, which we intend to donate to an organization dedicated to STEM education and outreach (we haven't decided which yet - we didn't really think about winning beforehand!). Our plant science posters even ended up in a Huffington Post article!
While being #famous has been a little bit fun, the best thing about the March for me personally was seeing the enthusiasm from the students. Whether they made posters, attended the march, or both, they got excited knowing that they participated in something of national importance, and sacrificed valuable study time to do so. We also got a lot of attention in our local community, which adds awareness of the issues facing science today.
I am so proud of these students, and proud to be a part of a school like Centenary. Though small, we definitely go big!
