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Silva students issue pandemic safety challenge to El Paso teens: #StayPositive to #TestNegative
(SILVA HEALTH MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL -- Nov. 19, 2020) — With the threat of COVID-19 infections getting worse as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, the students at Silva are taking on social media to issue a challenge to teens throughout El Paso: #StayPositive to #TestNegative.
Silva Ambassadors and Club 365 hope to make a citywide impact and fight the city’s upward trend in COVID-19 cases with their Thanksgiving Challenge. What better way to get teens involved? By using social media to post up to a 15 second-video tagging @silvamagnet or @jshsclub365 on Instagram and using the #staypositive #testnegative hashtags.
“We want to get as many teenagers involved in the campaign #staypositive #testnegative to show that we want to be part of the solution, not the problem,” said senior Isabella Chavez Miranda, co-president of Club 365. “We want the project to put a smile on other people's faces all while staying safe, healthy and happy. As a health magnet school, we want to set an example for the rest of our community.”
The students want to see creativity and videos that show teens can still enjoy their break within their own household and do safe activities that don’t contribute to the spread of the virus.
“We hope to see talents anybody has been aching to show somebody since quarantine started,” said senior Igmar Monroy, who’s involved in both service organizations. “Teenagers can be an active part of the community even in the simplest of ways. Because of COVID, it's much harder to participate in traditional events, so with the rise in the use of technology, we hope to see a huge number of teens participating.”
Chavez Miranda added: “Especially with social media nowadays, teenagers can create a massive impact. This is the start of a great wave.”
The project is inspired by the fact that as health magnet students, the Silva kids truly understand the impact the virus has had on the city.
“Our students want to be a part of the solution on what is happening within our community,” said Denise Galvez, Silva Magnet coordinator. “Empathy is embedded within our students and they are eager to show support for those who are suffering or ill within our community. We also have many Silva alumni working in our local hospitals during this time and each one of us at this point knows someone who has been affected by COVID-19.”
Graphic by Martín A. López