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YOKOSUKA, Japan - Who is the most influential person in history? That’s what students at Fleet Activities, Yokosuka Nile C. Kinnick High School looked to find out during "The Power of One" conference conducted at the school campus in the KHS Little Theater, May 14.
World history teacher Dan Lufkin and world literature teacher Alex Mauldin organized the event which included panelists and teachers Gene Fendrick and Linda Ledesma. The conference was the culmination of a yearlong project between the honors world history and honors world literature sophomore classes to determine who the most influential person in history was.
A total of 57 historical figures were represented by 70 students. Among those presented were Abraham Lincoln, Aung San Suu Kyi, Benjamin Franklin, Christopher Columbus, Henry Ford, Julius Caesar, Marco Polo, Michael Jackson, Socrates, Plato and even Steve Jobs.
“Can one person really impact history?” said Lufkin. “Where these people formed by events, or their own drive? What’s involved in being a world leader? That’s for the kids to find out. My hope is that they gain a since of how far they have come with their studies in history and truly understand the value in it.”
The project consisted of different phases of research during each quarter of the school year; first quarter consisted of the choosing of figures, second quarter involved writing a research paper on the figure; third quarter included the presentation of costumes and props and a video project on current issues. The final portion was held in the fourth quarter, where students provided their persuasive speeches leading into the actual power of one conference.
“I think definitely this is going to help them just think more critically; how to look at arguments and not only your own argument, but to deconstruct other people’s arguments,” said Mauldin. “You saw that in the panel discussions during the debate. I think they get a lot out of that. Hopefully a class like this will give them that big push to get into college-level classes.”
The Power of One Conference was separated into several sections, starting with a 30-second introduction of each figure to a final vote conducted by the portrayers’ own classmates. When the dust settled, Martin Luther King Jr., portrayed by Ray Duncan was victorious. The runner ups were Charlemagne by Andrew Jones and Adolph Hitler by Shilp Ronvelwala.
“Words cannot describe how I feel right now,” said Duncan. “I feel that you work yearlong for this - the preparation and all. I was nervous at first, but that all went away and the only you think of is being the best that you can be while trying to embody that person you are portraying. The point of the power of one is you’re embodying someone else because they were influential to you and you want to make them as influential to others.”
Mauldin and Lufkin were extremely proud of all the students and spoke volumes about Duncan.
“She is a very good example of somebody who from the beginning of the year until now has shown a big leap as far being willing to get up and speak,” said Mauldin. “At the beginning of the year she wasn’t the first one to raise her had or speak up in class. She was pretty quiet, and to do this - you never would have predicted it. She grew as far as being able to think on her feet and she just swung for it. I am very proud of her; I don’t think that I could have done what she did.”
Upon the completion of this year’s conference, both instructors appreciated the parent’s assistance in making the power of one a reality.
“We are in debt to the parents for their support of the program by leaps and bounds,” said Lufkin. “Just by what they’ve put into the students to help support us is really gratifying,” Mauldin concurred.
“Yes, I don’t think that any of these kids could do this without the parents support,” said Mauldin. “The students had to make costumes, practice at home and buy books for their research papers. So for these kids to be successful, they do need that support at home. We know it must be there and we are so grateful for it.”
| Date Taken: | 05.14.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 07.10.2013 03:30 |
| Story ID: | 109935 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 119 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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