How We Created an Eco-Justice Fashion Show Driven by STEM and Innovation

I teach at a K-12 public charter school with around 1,400 students and took on the Ciena Solutions Challenge with my ninth grade students. The Challenge empowered our students to take design thinking to the next level and to become changemakers, which was especially important at this moment in Boulder County, Colorado. After the Marshall Fire burned more than 1000 structures down in our school district last year, many students felt powerless. Many of us were evacuated, with some just recently returning to their homes after the structures had been repaired, and others never able to go back. STEM education, combined with problem-based learning, empowered students to tackle climate change.

The Innovation and Design Thinking class that I teach is the first of its kind in our school district and it asks students to solve problems that matter to them. So much of what students learn in school is traditionally taught in abstraction and without any opportunity to apply the knowledge they gain to making their own world a better place. I was teaching ninth graders who spent most of middle school navigating a pandemic and then a catastrophic local fire—they needed a measure of control over their worlds and the sense that they could be changemakers. The Ciena Solutions Challenge’s focus on the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and on students using STEM was a perfect vehicle for this change, providing accessible resources and clear prompts. This year I also had more students than ever who were learning English as an additional language. The Spanish versions of the resources were incredible, helping me make sure my curriculum was for everyone in my community, not just native English speakers.

I was teaching ninth graders who spent most of middle school navigating a pandemic and then a catastrophic local fire—they needed a measure of control over their worlds and the sense that they could be changemakers.

My students knew they wanted to focus on eco-justice and address the climate change issues that make Colorado so susceptible to fire. They wanted to have agency and a voice in something affecting them so much and had freedom to take their designs in the directions they chose.

Their initial projects ranged from biomimicry-inspired shoes that grow with the wearer (inspired by the Shy Plant), tech-enabled gloves to help those with disabilities access grip strength, and innovative programs to help those with drug addiction.

To combine the best of the ideas generated by the ninth grade, students fashioned an innovative idea: an Eco-Justice Fashion Show! Our first foray into STEM-driven, eco-justice themed, upcycled fashion was a huge success, with 300 students in our school participating or watching.

Next year, it will be even bigger as the Ciena Challenge Solutions Sustainability Award will make it possible to use more technology and expand our impact through a community-wide show.

Focusing on fashion and the possibility for change also shifts preconceptions about STEM. Traditionally, STEM has been coded as masculine and fashion has been coded as feminine—we are breaking apart these binaries while encouraging students to make a difference. The Ciena Solutions Challenge goes beyond mental problem-solving or thought experiments by encouraging students to actually prototype and MAKE change.

We have so many excited students who want to design, plan, code, model fashions and serve as announcers after their experiences at this year’s Eco-Justice Fashion Show, hosted by our local library. Students are leading all aspects of the initiative, and we will invite all area schools to participate. In addition, we have several area professionals in design, tech, and environmental initiatives coming in as mentors.

Students were amazed as they created upcycled works designed to address medical, social, and environmental issues. As student Josephine G. put it, “This is more fun than I’ve ever had doing a school project, and those kids make me want to make it even better.” After the YouthMADE Festival, where Josephine presented ideas with students from around the world, she was inspired by what other young people were doing as changemakers and will help lead next year’s Eco-Justice Fashion Show.

Our students lost so much during the fires. Creating learning experiences that are responsive to their complex expressions of emotion and that enable them to envision action-based futures are essential as they move forward. The ideas percolating this year will grow and evolve and take shape on our high school stage with bigger, better, and more viable solutions. We look forward to involving our whole community in this journey to work toward change thanks to the Ciena Challenge Solutions.

• Register for more info and resources to get involved in the Ciena Solutions Challenge
• Learn more about the Ciena Solutions Challenge project teams at Peak to Peak High School in the Project Gallery on the Ciena Solutions Challenge website
• Sign up for updates about the next YouthMADE Festival.