What did you do last weekend? Sleep in; watch cartoons? How about brainstorming new ideas to make the world a better place? That’s what student leaders in DC, Colorado, and LA just did…

They spent this weekend brainstorming, collaborating, creating and laughing with other high school students from around town. What they learned was that while they are hard at work in their own high schools: combating apathy, working through bureaucratic red tape and celebrating the little successes; they are not alone.

There is a network of people in their cities working on the same obstacles and finding effective solutions. This sense of shared responsibility was palpable throughout the day and felt invigorating and inspiring.

As an educator, I’ve had plenty of moments where I’ve “gotten the chills” from watching a student created video, seeing students in action sorting through trash on a locker clean out day, or hearing a particularly passionate student leader rally her fellow students at an action team meeting.

For me, I became an ACE Educator because I get to live my values. Every day, I get the opportunity to help build a movement that will save the polar bears, motivate us to listen to one another and create a community of passionate, like-minded individuals who work to create justice for human and non-human species with every fiber of our being.

We got one step closer to that community when the student leaders at each of these trainings “got together” to share their creative visions.

Yes, it was 2:15 pm in DC, time for lunch in Colorado and only 11:15 am in LA. But through the use of a bit of technology, we used our modern day super hero powers and teleported into cyber space.

Each training group flexed their musical muscles to develop region specific raps that showed off a bit of regional flare. DC was chillin’, Colorado used a trash can and recycle bin to create a groovy beat, and LA showed a bit of synchronicity.

Here are the raps as they were performed during the training.

DC area
DC chillin
Coalition buildin’
We’re making choices
By raising our voices

We got the solar heat that we can beat
Making our energy a great feat
We think the climate’s cool, we think the climate’s fly
That’s why we’re helping out with 1Sky

Climate needs, earth needs, water climate need to make it more green
Knowing how to do it without a lot of bling
And learning how to carry on effective meetings
To be a green Earth, we gotta act now
If we want change, it has to happen now

Colorado Rap
It’s the C-O-L-O-R-A-D-O
Blowing up with ACE, don’t you know.
We’re doing something great for the environment
LA & DC are also trying it.

Colorado seems straight out of a dream.
With mountain streams so fresh and so clean (so clean, so clean, so clean).

We have a smart grid city.
Because the Earth is really pretty.

If you reduce, recycle, and reuse.
You won’t get those wasting blues.

In Colorado, we like our snow.
So, to climate change, WE SAY NO!

SoCal Rap
Here in the LA with our diversity
We plant trees to prevent a tsunami

THIS IS LA!

We recycle a ton in a year
We’re scared species will disappear
We have beaches, mountains, and deserts here

THIS IS LA!

We love to recycle, and ride our bicycles
We plant trees to stop the abnormal breeze
SoCal weather is our reason to make things better

THIS IS LA!

We don’t wanna a drought, ‘cause we’ll lose all the trout
In SoCal it’s not cooling down
So we need solar panels all around

THIS IS LA!

We’re no fools because we ride our bikes to school
We lower CO2 emissions
That’s what makes LA so cool!

THIS IS LA!