Gause students get Ross interested in chocolate slavery
The cover of a four-page newsletter about chocolate made by child slaves in Africa.
The inside of the newsletter made by Gause Academy students and specifically by Lisette Soto.
Letter Rep. Dennis Ross wrote to Lawrence Graham, the president of the National Confectioners Association.
PHOTO BY JEFF ROSLOW
Gause Leadership students, from left, Kaleb McComic, Taralena Adamson, Ashley Elliott, Katelyn Hess and Travis Hudson discuss child slavery that is practiced in some African countries in harvest chocolate.
PHOTO PROVIDED
U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross speaks with Gause students in January during a visit at the school. Leadership instructor Jennifer Perez, wearing the blue shirt, listens while some of her students pay attention. The students are Ashley Elliott and Whitney Reed with their backs to the camera, Travis Hudson in the red shirt, Mason Prahl sitting beside him on Ross' other side.
PHOTO BY JEFF ROSLOW
Leadership teacher Jennifer Lopez asks her students a question during a discussion over the child slavery that is done in some African countries regarding chocolate harvesting. On the left is Mason Prahl, who is actually in eighth grade and not part of the Leadership class due but has shown interest in the project and participates, and Taylor Gill.
PHOTO BY JEFF ROSLOW
Gause Leadership instructor, who is in her first year at that school, Jennifer Perez, got her students interesting the child slavery situation in which they harvest chocolate in some African countries. With her are students Whitney Reed, Lisette Soto, Jasmin Burton, Victoria Pools and Kaleb McComic.
There are 14 students at Gause Academy who not only engaged an federal elected representative when he visited their school they interested him to the point of trying to make something happen on a project which they are working on.
Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, has been to the Gause Academy before and is familiar with the school as he and principal Mark Thomas have been friends for about 20 years and he has visited before. However, before this visit in late January, Thomas advised him to be familiar with the Harkin-Engel Protocol because the Leadership students are sure to talk to him about it.
