Climate change classes will be required for all high school students in the state by next fall, thanks to the efforts of two Naperville young people.
Why climate change?
New Qua Valley High school graduate Grace Brady and Naperville Central Senior High School Student Iris Shadis-Greengas has each conducted her own class project on climate change and worked on legislation on this issue related to education.
“Climate change is the biggest issue, if not the most pressing issue, of my generation,” Brady said.
“Climate change is a very controversial issue and it’s something that a lot of people don’t seem to know much about,” he said. Shadis Green Gas.
Both Brady and Shadis Greengass have looked at other countries, such as New Zealand, and how climate change education is implemented there. After their research, the pair worked with Illinois Representative Janet Yang-Lohr to draft a climate change education bill that eventually became one. House Bill 4895 would require all Illinois public high schools to teach the subject.
“They weren’t learning about it,” Rep. Jan-Lohr said. “We want to make sure our students have access to education because young people are the key to getting things done, and I think they recognize that. And through education, we can start to address these climate crises.”
“I feel like it’s important not only to know the basics of climate change and what it is, but also to know the solutions and what can actually be done,” Brady said.. “Otherwise, you’ll fall into a pessimistic mindset, which isn’t very helpful.”
The Pride of Naperville
The bill was nearly a year in the making, passed through the Illinois General Assembly and finally signed by Governor JB Pritzker into law this summer.
“It’s unbelievable,” Shadis Greengas said, “that everything we know is because of the law, and that law has affected me and will affect so many others in the future.”
Coincidentally, Grace is the daughter of Naperville Central High School social studies teacher Seth Brady, and Iris was one of his students while working on the project last year.
“I’m incredibly proud of Grace and all of the young people I’ve worked with, and when I think back to when I was younger I see their understanding of these issues, their ability and their drive to make a difference,” Seth said. “Some people write off Gen Z, but they’re an incredible generation and they’re driven to act on their values.”
Working with other students who have been pushing for legislation
The two girls were the latest to join several other students who have worked under Seth’s tutelage and who have also inspired bills that have become laws relating to everything from fentanyl overdoses to EpiPen use to an expansion of Illinois’ report cards.
“When you look at the bills that are coming out of my office, a lot of them have come from students,” Rep. Jan-Lohr said. “Obviously, I think it says a lot about how engaged our students are, how much they care about their community, and so forth. And from those ideas and those advocacy, we’ve been able to pass legislation, which I think is really wonderful.”
Setting future generations up for success
New law requires teaching about climate change in Illinois school, How is it do It is up to each school district to decide of Climate change will be integrated into the curriculum in the 2025-2026 school year (when the law goes into effect), and Grace hopes it will have a domino effect.
“I hope this bill will help other students too. that They can take action on issues they care about,” Grace said.
Grace, currently a freshman at the University of Illinois at Champagne-Urbana, and Iris, currently a senior at Naperville Central, are already taking steps to change the educational landscape for future generations.
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