One of the most powerful aspects of learning is student voice and student choice. We want to embrace this idea over the next four years using input from our students. We have formed a Superintendent Student Advisory team that will meet with me periodically to tell us how we are doing as a school system and express their hopes and dreams. We are also sending out student surveys so students can provide input about their learning experiences and teachers. We want every child to reach their full potential and we need to know their aspirations and provide support to help them reach their goals. The students are the best ones to express exactly what support they need to build their future. A quote from one of the students was, “I love the challenge of my classes. They really make me think, especially my Math 1 class.”
Our district just held our first ever Innovation Day where students had a choice on what they learned and how they learned. Here are a few highlights your students enjoyed on January 26th at Mount Airy City School’s Innovation Day:
- Luke Lambert brought his pit crew team and a race car from Richard Childress Racing. They performed a live pit change and helped students understand the engineering behind a race car and observe a live pit stop.
- Students got a chance to meet a visiting student delegation from China and learn about their language, culture and arts programs.
- Video games, coding, programming, and all types of technology activities were all over our four campuses.
- Mighty Machines at BH Tharrington with Travis Manchester was a great breakout sessions.
- Students met a police K-9 dog and a blacksmith.
- Experts visited Jones such as Dr. Adam Delp, EMS workers, Randy Tompkins, an innovator from Cook Medical and others exploring various aspects of STEAM.
Here is a clip to many of the activities of Innovation Day:
https://storify.com/CarrieVenable/innovation-day-2017
There were many exciting break out sessions for students to choose from and we know they enjoyed participating in their own learning choices. This also helped us as adults understand that learning is not necessarily the way we have always seen the classroom. There is much learning that occurs outside of those four walls. Innovation Day reminded us what it is like to be a kid again. Some of my favorite quotes are, “Thank you MACS for Innovation Day. My children were excited today because they wanted to go to school.” We want every day to be like Innovation Day where learning is exciting, relevant, and fun.