I am so proud to be a part of this journey and a group of teachers who believe that learning goes beyond the classroom and can truly impact the community in which we live. I know we all are looking forward to continuing the partnership and learning as this new year begins!
We are excited to share this year's progress thus far with our CBL cohort, however, before doing so I wanted to share this quick video that was created to share at a community event to help local business leaders and officials understand the powerful work are students and teachers are engaged in. I am so proud to be a part of this journey and a group of teachers who believe that learning goes beyond the classroom and can truly impact the community in which we live. I know we all are looking forward to continuing the partnership and learning as this new year begins!
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Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of helping four of our CBL teachers from Children's School, Ebenezer, South Pointe, and Sunset Park with their end of year exhibition, "A Celebration of Stories". This idea grew from another CBL project that Ms. Remus and her class began last year, the Downtown Rock Hill - Walking Tour. (Pictures included below) Civil Rights, Friendship 9, Jail No Bail, McCrory's Diner, Reconstruction, and Tolerance are all concepts that Ms. Remus and her class explored and included on their walking tour of Rock Hill, SC. Over the course of this year, Ms. Remus, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Jenkins, Mrs. Campbell, and our partner from the City of Rock Hill, Janice Miller, have spent countless hours guiding their students as they research, gather stories, conduct interviews, and compile artifacts from community members about the African American Business district in Rock Hill. This process was closely documented by the children and shared through their class blogs which I strongly encourage you to visit!! The students would LOVE for you to take a minute and leave a comment on their site. This validates their tremendous efforts and encourages the learning to continue. So finally, after the stories were compiled, artifacts scanned, and emotions captured, the teachers and students were ready to prepare for an incredible event that would celebrate the past, present, and pride of Rock Hill's African Americans. Words can't express the pride, excitement, and incredible sense of accomplishment and community that was felt last Thursday as close to 200 people came together to celebrate and honor the stories of our past so they can live on in the future. Parents, students, city leaders, teachers, principals, school board members, and even a few Stallion football players made their way into the cafeteria at South Pointe High school to view the products, pass around the stories, and enjoy the fellowship of friends, food, and feelings. Compassion, curiosity, and tradition were all observed as I walked from table to table to document the incredible things I saw, heard, and felt. This event signifies more than just an end of year culminating project. It signifies the opportunities that we have to positively reflect on change, growth, and opportunities of African American entrepreneurs in Rock Hill. It signifies a conversation between a child and parent that may not have occurred if not for this project. It signifies a newfound pride that resonates for so many who have struggled with their present because of their past. Not being from Rock Hill, understanding the culture and finding my place in the community hasn't always been easy. I moved frequently throughout my childhood which left me a little uncertain of my personal traditions, customs, and beliefs. However, last Thursday, as I listened to the children buzz with excitement, their parents beam with pride, and community leaders welcome and swap their stories, I grinned from ear to ear as I felt a passionate pride develop within me for the city of Rock Hill, the people who live here, and the friends that make this place my home. The ProductsMrs. Campbell's Class Narratives (below)
The PeopleThe PrideAnd last, but not least, the TASTE...While students were conducting their interviews they found a common theme in most everyone they spoke to - HOT DOGS! Naturally, Ms. Remus and her students felt it was necessary to include 'MUTT'S' infamous hot dog chili in this event. She reached out to Mr. Thomas Hinton, Mutt's son, and invited him to attend the "Celebration of Stories" and serve his father's famous chili hotdogs. At times, the line was 10-15 people long, filled with children who up to this point, had only heard of these legendary hotdogs alongside the people who experienced the unforgettable taste over fifty years ago as children themselves. There was a constant 'yummm' and 'oh wow, this IS good' as people enjoyed the secret recipe of MUTT's mouth-watering chili dogs. Lucky for me, I was able to help Mr. Hinton to his car after this tasty event to purchase my very own container of Mutt's chili. Closing comments from a valued partner and friend from the City of Rock Hill, Janice Miller. Thank you, Mrs. Miller, for all that you do for the children and teachers in our community. In case you missed it....Here are a few short videos of the buzz, the fellowship, and story sharing from the other night. Each month, we meet with the Challenge Based Learning (CBL) cohort to plan and reflect on the awesome projects in progress A few months ago, Mr. Morton, a fifth grade teacher at India Hook Elementary, came to us with an an original idea. An idea that from the start, had potential to do incredible things for so many in our community. Little Free Libraries wasn't on the original list of community challenges shared with us in the beginning of the year by our city partners. Instead it was something that derived from discussions taking place in Mr. Morton's class of all boys that focussed on the inequality of our past, inequality in our present, and how to create opportunities of EQUALITY for our future? Around this time, a district update went out to all employees that included information about a neat concept called Little Free Libraries. These curb-side libraries are designed around the concept of "Take a book, leave a book." They were also the answer to the question Mr. Morton had posed to his boys: How can we create more equitable opportunities? And thus; a project is born. A project that would require the boys to actively engage in research, collaboration, creation, and community. A project that also also happens to support Mayor Echols initiative, 'Rock Hill Reads'. After exploring purchase options and discovering the on-line kits that can be purchased ranged from $400-$800, Mr. Morton and his boys quickly began to design a more affordable option (can anyone say hello to common core standards?) Mr. Morton wrote a grant application to request funding to build 7 Little Free Libraries for the total cost of $800. Within days, Rock Hill Schools Foundation enthusiastically approved the application and became instant partners in this project offering more than monetary support but also physical support as the next step involved skill-saws, hammers, glue, and a whole lot of hands on learning at Home Depot. Part 1 - Home DepotAfter the design was complete, Mr. Morton took his boys to Home Depot so they could price, purchase, and begin putting their design into action. It was a great day of learning, teamwork, and excitement about what they were accomplishing (check out the article about this that was included in The Herald). The magnitude of this project and the impact of hope and equitable literacy opportunities were quickly settling in all the hearts of those who participated; including Dr. Pew (Rock Hill Schools new superintendent) and also board members of the Rock Hill Schools Foundation. Part 2 - IHES for finishing touches!The day before delivery, we were invited to come help with the finishing touches of Mr. Morton's CBL project. Teamwork was essential in completing the tasks at hand, and thankfully, we had just enough hands on deck to get us there. Part 3 - A Special DevliverySo finally, the day was here. And so were the completed Little Free Libraries! I lost count of the number of times I cried. Watching these amazing boys and their determined teacher work together to complete an a project bigger than themselves was inspiring. An experience I won't forget and I am almost certain these boys feel the same. Trying to explain the concept of 'challenge based learning' to people new to the term can sometimes be difficult. For me, CBL is actively understanding community challenges to engage in meaningful and collaborative learning that will improve the quality of a situation. As described by Ron Berger, its "good in quality, good for the soul, good for the world. Mr. Morton and his boys clearly define this; leaving it very easy to understand how and why this way of teaching and learning is relevant, applicable, and necessary as we prepare our children for future of challenges yet to be determined. Boyd Hill - LFL #1Emmett Scott Recreation Center - LFL #2Northside Recreation Center - LFL #3Heather Heights - LFL #4Thank you to the teachers, administrators, and partners of India Hook Elementary School for your commitment to literacy, learning, and collaboration. I can't tell you how special it was to experience the BIG impact of these little libraries with some of my most favorite boys from my fourth grade class.
I so enjoyed the CBL Home Depot trip last week with IHES to build Little Free Libraries. We had a great day of learning, exploring, and building. These boys were SO into the project...you'd think they had forgotten they were learning!
Stay tuned for part 2 of this incredible project... All year, our teachers, students, and city partners have worked on various projects in an effort to improve our community. As this school year is coming to a close, project participants are gearing up to celebrate the unique teaching and learning taking place in Rock Hill Schools. Below, you'll find a project summary list along with tentative exhibition dates. Be sure to check with school or city officials to see if event is open to public guests. We appreciate your support and encourage you to ask a Rock Hill student: What did you do today that made the world a better place? Grateful to be a part of RRMS exhibition. Today, they officially reached their goal of $5,000; giving them enough money to build a clean water well in South Sudan. I am so proud of ALL the teachers and students that made this happen....something that these children will likely remember for the rest of their lives. Students were so prepared as they shared the process of how this project evolved. They were able to practice their communication and speaking skills. This child explains how the project took off after the school-wide initiative of reading, "A Long Walk to Water". Critiquing was a major part of this project. Students explain how they had to go through multiple drafts in order to make this a publishable piece of work. GREAT job!! So proud of the amazing work our teachers and students are doing; and it seems we aren't the only ones. Recently, the partnership between the city and Rock Hill Schools recieved an award for the collaborative efforts of CBL. The city will be honored as m the 2014 Municipal Association of South Carolina's Achievement Award in the category of Public Service. So proud to serve in this district; where great people are coming together to make great learning opportunities for our children! Congratulations to all!! Last Thursday, the Rock Hill Schools Foundation hosted our Innovation Gala. It was a great event that celebrated the wonderful and innovative opportunities children experience across our district.
Sprinkle in incredible speakers, a few video vignettes, delicious food, talented friends, and a powerful common thread of "partnership"...and guess what you have? The makings of a memorable evening. One that I will not soon forget. * See 'Rollings Blog' for more details and pictures about how awesome the Gala was!!! |
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