GRM: Keep On Pushin’
- shelbyshelb
- Jul 7
- 2 min read
This Spring asked a lot of us, and our families just rolled with it every single time. That’s the magic of this community — the pivot doesn’t break the plan, it becomes the plan. And so while we were able to deep dive into civics, sales & marketing, and also environmental justice - we left plenty of space for freedom, flexibility, and fluidity!
We wanted our students to see how these things connect — that government, business, and the environment aren’t separate conversations. They’re the same one. Who has power? Who makes decisions? Who feels the impact? Those questions showed up in every unit, from the way communities are governed to the way goods are marketed to who gets clean air and water and why.
Why Civics
Civics isn’t an elective — it’s the foundation. The best schools in the country know this, and they’re doubling down on government, advocacy, and community engagement because they understand that knowing how power works is what separates students who participate in the world from those who just observe it. This is why increasingly selective universities are looking for students who demonstrate civic engagement, because grades and test scores can only tell admissions teams so much — what they’re really after is a three-dimensional view of who a student is and what they’ll contribute.
At GrassRoots, we don’t wait for high school to have these conversations — and we don’t have them sitting down. Our students are out in the world, meeting people, visiting places, and bringing what they learn back to life through art, writing, and presenting. Every dimension of learning gets activated here: the knowing, the doing, and the expressing. And they’re doing all of it together — as a community, as a cohort, as young people who are figuring out not just what they think, but how to say it.
Juneteenth at High Museum of Atlanta
Grassroots Middle Families explore the High Museum of Atlanta during their annual Juneteenth Celebration. Photos by Dr. Matthew Rankin
Did you know the High Museum of Art offers two free admission days per month?! It’s a great opportunity to explore this beautiful space and possibly become a member!
This summer, we’re taking it a step further. Our focus is trust — what it looks like one on one, and what it means to show up for a whole community. Our students are living that out as teacher assistants in summer school, as delegates in Model UN, and as participants in our Third Space meetups built around real connection and community responsibility.
They’re not just studying leadership anymore. They’re doing it.
More soon. 🌱
— The GrassRoots Team
