You see them in cafeterias, classrooms, above projectors and everywhere in between. Each year, as part of the Health 10 curriculum, Sophomores at WHS become parents for a week by carrying around baby dolls, caring for them as if they were full-time parents.
Although there are many aspects of parenthood that this project cannot encompass, such as the financial strain of having a baby and lack of sleep, just having to carry around a baby gives students a glimpse into parenthood.
Health Teacher Susan Kolesar said, “I think [the project] is a hands-on, unique and fun approach to teach about what could potentially happen if [students] have an unintended teen pregnancy. [It is] something different from textbook work.”
One of the most taxing aspects of the project is students being required to carry their baby around at all times. While many use a basket as a carrier, others opt to use a baby wrap on their chest. Sophomore Hannah Lee said, “I think the hardest part with it was just having to carry the baby and constantly having to have one arm dedicated to holding the basket.”
There are other responsibilities included in the project that are meant to simulate real-life situations for students. The students are expected to document their journey, taking pictures of themselves caring for their babies during different parts of the day. Kolesar said, “There’s journaling with different moments that they have to think about like communication with parents and guardians, a budget and a clinical appointment.” As a fun addition to the project, Kolesar holds a baby contest, encouraging students to be creative in dressing and accessorizing their babies.
Teachers who run the project also find that their students emerge from the lesson with a better understanding of newborns and information that may have been unknown to them otherwise. “I like the conversations that come out of it, like I asked them to make up a weight for their baby and somebody said their baby weighed 20 pounds,” said Health Teacher Michelle Spreitzer.
Besides the grade and the hands-on experience, this project also brings some silliness and fun to the halls of WHS each year. This year, students have been stealing and hiding babies that are left unattended.
An Instagram account, @whs_stolen_baby_projects, was created to post humorous content about the project. Sophomore Ella Ceraso said, “My friend’s baby was taken and put behind the curtains in the cafeteria and then a picture of it was sent to the stolen baby’s Instagram account.”
Due to the chaos that is inevitable with this project, Spreitzer asked teachers to email her if they saw students being good parents as a way to ensure that students are taking care of their babies
Ultimately, the baby project is a hands-on way for students to understand what having a child looks like, as well as what can go wrong when they are unprepared to do so.