TEACHER STORY

How Scholastic News Launched Legislation That Made the Blueberry the Mississippi State Fruit

Madison, Mississippi
_{March 13, 2023}

It all started when fourth-grade teacher Lisa Parenteau had her students at Mannsdale Upper Elementary School in Madison, Mississippi, read a Scholastic News® article as part of their social studies instruction. The article, “We Made State History,” described how students at a Kansas elementary school decided their state should have a state fruit. According to the article, a state lawmaker visited their classroom and explained how to accomplish this by getting a new law passed. The article also described how the teacher contacted teachers at other schools to get more students involved in the effort.

Based on a poll of more than 400 students from 24 schools, the sandhill plum was selected to be the state fruit in a bill introduced in the state legislature. After a student letter-writing campaign and student speeches to the legislature, the bill was signed into law. Accompanying the story was a summary of the four-step process the students followed to accomplish this goal.

SCHOLASTIC NEWS INSPIRATION

Motivated by this story of student empowerment, Lisa Parenteau and her fourth graders conducted research to explore whether Mississippi had a state fruit. It did not! During recess, her students informally surveyed each other to learn which fruits were their favorites. One student came up with the idea to propose an official state fruit for Mississippi.

Parenteau contacted Mississippi State University, so that her students could learn which fruits might be the most appropriate choices, based on the state’s economy, history, and culture. They decided on the blueberry because it is the most grown fruit in Mississippi and is important to its agriculture and economy. “Project Blueberry” was born!

Parenteau emailed Jill Ford, their area’s state representative, to inquire about her interest in sponsoring state fruit legislation. Ford liked the idea and came to the school to explain to the students the steps it takes to turn a bill into law. She encouraged students to write their own letters to other state legislators advocating for the Project Blueberry bill—a chance to learn and practice writing formal, persuasive letters, according to Parenteau. Witnessing the students’ enthusiasm and hopefulness, Parenteau also prepared them for the possibility that the bill might not pass, so they wouldn’t be too disappointed if it didn’t.

SCHOLASTIC NEWS RESULTS

In February 2023, the Project Blueberry bill passed the state House of Representatives, 110-1. That March, during a scheduled field trip to Jackson, the state capital, the students toured meeting rooms where lawmakers consider and vote on bills. Later that month, the bill passed in the state Senate, 52-0. Several students returned to the state capital during spring break to witness Mississippi’s governor sign the bill into law.

And that’s how a Scholastic News article inspired students to become active citizens and engage in a real-world social studies lesson with real results—and get a new law passed!