Devine High School freshmen, Nayeli Muñoz and Collier Paige, have chosen internet safety as the focus for their FCCLA STAR (Students Taking Action for Recognition) event this year. The duo wants to educate students on the dangers of the internet and also teach them how to stay safe online.
The students began their project in October by creating an Instagram account to post information and helpful tips for their followers. In November, they stapled internet safety facts to candy and threw them from the float in the Fall Festival parade. On November 21st, Muñoz and Paige presented to Ms. Beaty’s classes at the middle school. The team created a slideshow presentation on the dangers of the internet and ways to stay safe, and then played a game that reinforced these ideas. Overall, they taught 104 students.
On December 4th, the two FCCLA members taught 153 3rd- and 4th-grade students the same topics. Using the same slideshow and a different game focused on the younger students, the team members helped answer questions and point out dangerous situations during their presentation time.
Muñoz and Paige have also hung flyers at the middle school and high school campuses to encourage the students to follow their Instagram account and to keep safety tips in view for the students to see daily. Starting this week at the high school, they will begin to have a weekly announcement in the morning called “Tech Tip Tuesday,” which will explain ways for students and staff to keep their accounts safe and to avoid dangers on the internet.
When asked why they chose this topic, Muñoz explained that they have noticed that kids at younger ages seem to be on electronics more. Paige added that many of the really young kids play online games such as Roblox and Minecraft, and do not think that they could be in danger because it is a game. So the two of them decided that they needed to help educate them and decided they should educate their peers, as well. Many older kids do not realize ways to keep their accounts safe, so the duo decided that this should be highlighted, as well.
Devine FCCLA travels to the Region V Conference in Corpus Christi, Texas, to compete on January 29-31.