Braintree Students Promote Advocacy at Fontbonne Social Justice Fair

Three Braintree residents participated in the Sixth Annual Social Justice Fair at Fontbonne Academy in Milton on Thursday, March 28. The Braintree seniors presented projects on ADHD, mental health and animal neglect.

Each Fontbonne senior must complete a Social Justice project where they research, advocate for, and complete direct service relating to a topic of their choice as part of Fontbonne’s theology curriculum. The public and underclasswomen viewed presentations and displays at Thursday's fair.

Julia Butts of Braintree focused on the subject of ADHD and education because she is close with someone who went through school with the disorder.

"I was a little hesitant because I've never seen a project on this before," Butts said.

Butts tutored students with ADHD at St. Agatha's School in Milton for her direct service. She employed a strategy where she'd do school work until the students became distracted. Then, they'd take a break to play a game before returning to work. Butts said she enjoyed the tutoring so much that she went beyond the 10 hours of required volunteering.

Brittney Cahill used her project to advocate for mental health. Cahill explained that while many more people have mental illness than diseases like cancer, there is less awareness. The Braintree resident chose to promote anti-bullying with a "Random Act of Kindness Week." Students and teachers that committed acts of kindness were encouraged to post what they did on the wall. Cahill said over 50 acts were posed, ranging from smiling at someone to helping with homework.

Braintree resident Kylie Noonan teamed up with Brittney Miller for a presentation about animal neglect. Miller focused on domestic animals, while Noonan worked with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society to focus on stopping Japan's dolphin hunt. Noonan was based in the WDCS office in Plymouth and did research for the dolphin portion of the society, which is located in Arizona.

"You have to protect the dignity of these animals because they can't do it themselves," Noonan said.