Every year the eighth grade at my school participates in a two-week long project. The class is split up into two teams: the Americans and the Soviets. Our goal is to win our teachers over with information, propaganda, and bribes. At the end of the two weeks all the teachers vote for one of the countries and whichever country gets the most votes wins and doesn’t have to take the last world studies test of the year.

While reading about this project you are probably thinking it sounds like a good idea. I know I did when I was told about it, but I was so terribly wrong. I’m not quite sure what is making this project so much more intense than all the others. Maybe it’s the human nature to be competitive. But since the project has started, people have become completely disrespectful and immoral to each other just because they are on opposite teams.

I’ve seen fights break out, friends turning against each other, and people losing sleep over this project. My best friend, who is on the other team, made up a song about how no one should trust me or any of the other people on my side. It’s just a huge race to try to be better than everyone else. People are buying new clothes, making dozens of posters (huge waste of paper), and bribing teachers with all kinds of things to try to win this. One girl even bought a teacher several new outfits for her soon-to-be-born baby. That kind of behavior is putting less wealthy people to shame because they know they can’t do as much.

Frankly, I think our school would do well without this project and if you have ever considered starting a project like this, don’t. It turns people into prejudice animals and it will cause stress among everyone.