Students Pitch Perfect Worlds at Utopia Fair Day

Mrs. Risser’s seventh grade English/Language Arts students served as ambassadors for starry-eyed societies of their own creation at the class’s Utopia Fair on Monday, May 21. Using posters, brochures, websites, models, and even homemade treats, groups competed to recruit the greatest number of visitors (parents, classmates, and guests) to their communities.

Seventh graders learned about the perks and pitfalls of utopian societies when reading Lois Lowry’s young adult dystopian novel The Giver. Mrs. Risser challenged students to build their own perfect worlds, including thought-out systems for environment, economics, government, and culture roles. Nine very different societies emerged.

At the end of the day, the Locus Pacis (Latin for Place of Peace) society took home the prize. The Happy Place and Elysium societies rounded out the top three. Both students and fair visitors enjoyed their time in Utopia.