Snapshot: Innovation & Design Thinking

St. DaviD’S

Preparing students for college and life requires more than just “knowing”: it requires evaluation of knowledge and creative problem solving

Innovation at St. David’s begins by fostering creativity at the youngest levels and carries through to post-graduate internships

innovation & DeSign thinking

Creative Problem Solving ageleSS aPPliCation

St. David’s Snapshot is a periodical publication that highlights one particular topic which exemplifies the ways in which St. David’s School fulfills its mission.

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Snapshot Innovation -- Spring 2016 v4.indd 1 5/2/2016 8:19:36 AM

ON THE COVER: Gunnar Kratz shapes his “Blue Foam” prototype into a device he designed to keep outerwear climate controlled in various weather conditions.

Preparation for college and life through creative problem solving

“My mind compels me into new things.” Two thousand years ago, Ovid introduced his great-

est invention, the Metamorphoses, with these words. Every day a St. David’s student reminds

me of their truth. Most recently it was Ms. Osborne’s fifth-graders. I was a guest judge for the

grade-wide “Shark Tank” presentations and had the privilege of watching students “sell” de-

signs for remarkable products they had dreamed up: a voice-activated coffee machine, a smart-

phone app to locate a school bus, and even an automated Lego-sorter that rescues parents’ feet

from the cruel minefield of unused pieces. These fifth graders are living proof of Ovid’s point:

our minds, our inborn curiosity and creativity compel us into new things.

Mankind has always desired to look beyond the next hill, to venture over the next

mountain, across the next sea, to the next planet. We were created this way: this curiosity and

creative impulse derives from our Creator, who made us in His image. He creates; we, who

derive from Him, are creative. And so we wonder at His creation, we seek new places and

ideas, and we invent.

At St. David’s, it begins in the pre-K classroom, where students give presentations to

their peers and field quest ions about topics they choose – even a steam train flying on a Lego rocket ship. Some may call this

imagination run amok; we say SpaceX should keep a desk open. This journey continues through the course of the Innovation

Warriors Initiative: STEAM programs in Lower School, Blue Foam, Shark Tank, hands-on classes in the Middle School, the

8th grade class-wide design project, the Upper School Innovation & Design course, computer science electives, and senior

year independent study projects. This year’s projects include the development of a more efficient design for an electric car, an

environmental initiative to eliminate unnecessary waste, and production of prototypes for a waterproof WiFi base station for

our football stadium.

The technological innovations of our times are tremendous – and St. David’s students have the newest technologies

at their fingertips – but we know that innovation must happen in every classroom, not only in science and technology. Creative

thought can bring forth new insight in any field, and teaching our students to apply their minds in new ways will not only build

confidence in their own abilities, but will form agile, strong minds, ready for jobs that have not yet been invented.

St. David’s Innovation Warriors Initiative positions the school and its students on the forefront of cutting-edge

pedagogy, but St. David’s distinctive quality comes from the security of this Initiative in its foundation: a strong reliance on

our faith and the tradition of learning. Ovid was successful in part because he was able to apply to his work a deep understand-

ing of literary tradition and a firm foundation in philosophy and religion. This fusion of tradition and innovation defines St.

David’s educational program. We continue to read canonical literature, not only because our students can bring new insights to

the text (they can), but because eternal truths never go out of style.

We continue to paint and to sing, not only because artists can help

engineers solve design problems (they can), but because art and mu-

sic are beautiful. We continue to study history because our govern-

ment needs bold and creative minds to solve the problems that face

our country. Like Ovid, we at once respect the pervasive influence

of tradition and are courageous in our efforts to build upon it.

Exciting things are happening at St. David’s. As you read

through this issue of Snapshot, allow your mind, along with our

students’ minds, to be compelled into new things.

Justin Carreker

Academic Dean

Academic Dean Justin Carreker converses with students, challenging

them to think creatively and critically to solve problems -- a skill that is

vital in any discipline.

What Innovation Means for St. David’s

Fourth graders Emma Aldredge, Katie White, Rebekah Leshnock, and Ollie Koon work together to craft prototypes of their inventive ideas.

1

Snapshot Innovation -- Spring 2016 v4.indd 2-3 5/2/2016 8:19:43 AM

ON THE COVER: Gunnar Kratz shapes his “Blue Foam” prototype into a device he designed to keep outerwear climate controlled in various weather conditions.

Preparation for college and life through creative problem solving

“My mind compels me into new things.” Two thousand years ago, Ovid introduced his great-

est invention, the Metamorphoses, with these words. Every day a St. David’s student reminds

me of their truth. Most recently it was Ms. Osborne’s fifth-graders. I was a guest judge for the

grade-wide “Shark Tank” presentations and had the privilege of watching students “sell” de-

signs for remarkable products they had dreamed up: a voice-activated coffee machine, a smart-

phone app to locate a school bus, and even an automated Lego-sorter that rescues parents’ feet

from the cruel minefield of unused pieces. These fifth graders are living proof of Ovid’s point:

our minds, our inborn curiosity and creativity compel us into new things.

Mankind has always desired to look beyond the next hill, to venture over the next

mountain, across the next sea, to the next planet. We were created this way: this curiosity and

creative impulse derives from our Creator, who made us in His image. He creates; we, who

derive from Him, are creative. And so we wonder at His creation, we seek new places and

ideas, and we invent.

At St. David’s, it begins in the pre-K classroom, where students give presentations to

their peers and field quest ions about topics they choose – even a steam train flying on a Lego rocket ship. Some may call this

imagination run amok; we say SpaceX should keep a desk open. This journey continues through the course of the Innovation

Warriors Initiative: STEAM programs in Lower School, Blue Foam, Shark Tank, hands-on classes in the Middle School, the

8th grade class-wide design project, the Upper School Innovation & Design course, computer science electives, and senior

year independent study projects. This year’s projects include the development of a more efficient design for an electric car, an

environmental initiative to eliminate unnecessary waste, and production of prototypes for a waterproof WiFi base station for

our football stadium.

The technological innovations of our times are tremendous – and St. David’s students have the newest technologies

at their fingertips – but we know that innovation must happen in every classroom, not only in science and technology. Creative

thought can bring forth new insight in any field, and teaching our students to apply their minds in new ways will not only build

confidence in their own abilities, but will form agile, strong minds, ready for jobs that have not yet been invented.

St. David’s Innovation Warriors Initiative positions the school and its students on the forefront of cutting-edge

pedagogy, but St. David’s distinctive quality comes from the security of this Initiative in its foundation: a strong reliance on

our faith and the tradition of learning. Ovid was successful in part because he was able to apply to his work a deep understand-

ing of literary tradition and a firm foundation in philosophy and religion. This fusion of tradition and innovation defines St.

David’s educational program. We continue to read canonical literature, not only because our students can bring new insights to

the text (they can), but because eternal truths never go out of style.

We continue to paint and to sing, not only because artists can help

engineers solve design problems (they can), but because art and mu-

sic are beautiful. We continue to study history because our govern-

ment needs bold and creative minds to solve the problems that face

our country. Like Ovid, we at once respect the pervasive influence

of tradition and are courageous in our efforts to build upon it.

Exciting things are happening at St. David’s. As you read

through this issue of Snapshot, allow your mind, along with our

students’ minds, to be compelled into new things.

Justin Carreker

Academic Dean

Academic Dean Justin Carreker converses with students, challenging

them to think creatively and critically to solve problems -- a skill that is

vital in any discipline.

What Innovation Means for St. David’s

Fourth graders Emma Aldredge, Katie White, Rebekah Leshnock, and Ollie Koon work together to craft prototypes of their inventive ideas.

1


Theme-based problems prompt pre-K through 3rd grade students to think cre-atively. They engage in a collaborative design process to propose inventive solutions and present their findings in the annual science festival. Along the way, they learn geography, sociology, political science, and economics.

In their final science festival presentation, fourth grade students work independently to identify problems they see in the world and design and build inventions to solve those issues. Proposals are judged and ranked on feasibility, sustainability, and desirability.

Each student proposes a solution to a per-sonally significant problem. After the first

round of presentations, the top ideas are identified and the students form small groups around the winning projects to refine their ideas. Presenting their final projects in the “Shark Tank,” outside

judges quiz the students on the design’s feasibility, sustainability, and desirability.

Students in the World Cultures class look at systemic sociological problems inherent in Africa, the Far East, and India. Students choose a region, identify a particular public health issue, and propose and present so-lutions in the annual Global In-novation Celebration.

Seventh grade earth science students study environmental issues, including a field trip to the Pamlico Sound to identify key ecological issues. Afterwards, they propose inventive solutions that are on display during the annual Environmental Expo. Eighth graders engage in local solutions, this year de-signing a student recreation area.

Seniors propose, inves-tigate, and develop their own course of study based on personal passions under the guidance of a faculty mentor.

This class affords Upper School students an opportunity to create their own inventions using state-of-the-art computer software, three dimensional printers, and power tools.

Partnering with local companies, the internship program gives

Upper School students a view into the wider

world and expands students’ horizons.

Advance Placement classes provide challenging opportunities for students to ask creative and critical questions in a rigor-ous academic setting. Suc-cessful completion leads to college credit.

Problem Solving

32


Theme-based problems prompt pre-K through 3rd grade students to think cre-atively. They engage in a collaborative design process to propose inventive solutions and present their findings in the annual science festival. Along the way, they learn geography, sociology, political science, and economics.

In their final science festival presentation, fourth grade students work independently to identify problems they see in the world and design and build inventions to solve those issues. Proposals are judged and ranked on feasibility, sustainability, and desirability.

Each student proposes a solution to a per-sonally significant problem. After the first

round of presentations, the top ideas are identified and the students form small groups around the winning projects to refine their ideas. Presenting their final projects in the “Shark Tank,” outside

judges quiz the students on the design’s feasibility, sustainability, and desirability.

Students in the World Cultures class look at systemic sociological problems inherent in Africa, the Far East, and India. Students choose a region, identify a particular public health issue, and propose and present so-lutions in the annual Global In-novation Celebration.

Seventh grade earth science students study environmental issues, including a field trip to the Pamlico Sound to identify key ecological issues. Afterwards, they propose inventive solutions that are on display during the annual Environmental Expo. Eighth graders engage in local solutions, this year de-signing a student recreation area.

Seniors propose, inves-tigate, and develop their own course of study based on personal passions under the guidance of a faculty mentor.

This class affords Upper School students an opportunity to create their own inventions using state-of-the-art computer software, three dimensional printers, and power tools.

Partnering with local companies, the internship program gives

Upper School students a view into the wider

world and expands students’ horizons.

Advance Placement classes provide challenging opportunities for students to ask creative and critical questions in a rigor-ous academic setting. Suc-cessful completion leads to college credit.

Problem Solving

32


Innovation Warriors and Design Thinking

MS science teacher Melissa Osbourne works with Lila Smith and Jackson Moore to deconstruct and analyze a digital piano keyboard.

Making a hair-raising discovery, Ariel Lee ’16 demonstrates physics concepts by al-lowing static electricity to course through her body. The class focuses on bringing concepts to life, with students creating everything from a ping pong cannon to a bicycle-powered smoothie blender, to an apparatus which analyzes trajectories of muddy golf balls.

Dr. Ted Morris, Program Initiator

He had an idea. Dr. Ted Morris, Associate Vice Chancellor of Engagement, Innovation and Eco-nomic Development at East Carolina University, fosters partnerships to encourage more entre-preneurial activity to stimulate investment and create jobs. As a St. David’s parent, he thought, “Why not introduce this concept to my daugh-ters’ school?”

Dr. Morris proposed an innovation workshop with St. David’s students to develop critical-thinking skills, foster entrepreneurship among even the youngest of students, and enable stu-dents to recognize their potential. The program was launched as a summer innovation camp, and the Innovation Warriors Initiative was born.

A couple of successful summers later, Lower School principal Michael Noto approached Dr. Morris about applying some of his techniques to the Lower School Science Festival. “We had changed the focus of our science festival in the

Lower school to celebrate the process of cre-ation and not simply the finished product,” ex-plains Noto. Rather than passive presentations with a tri-fold, “We were looking for our students to come up with solutions to common problems and actually see the process of design and prob-lem solving happen from start to finish.”

Dr. Morris was brought in and in concert with his creative and supportive colleagues, Wayne Godwin and Jim Menke, his expertise brought the capstone project to fruition in the fourth grade. “After identifying common concerns,” explains Noto, “students explore lots of pos-sible solutions to issues raised by their peers. The programs are real, as are the solutions.” The fourth grade students then research their ideas, develop a prototype, and present their fi-nal results at the science festival, where outside judges reward excellent design thinking.

Capitalizing on the creative spirit of the Lower

School’s science festival, Dr. Morris and Middle School Principal Neville Sinclair soon developed a program that continued this enthusiasm for innovation. Be-ginning in the fifth grade, students now participate in the Middle School Shark Tank where students pres-ent solutions to problems to a pan-el of supportive “investors.”

The flow of ideas continues throughout the Middle School curriculum. In the sixth grade, the World Cultures course includes a two-part innovation assignment called the Global Innovation Proj-ect. This project, which culmi-nates with the Global Innovation Trade Show in the spring, chal-lenges students to choose a major problem that affects Asia or Africa and propose, develop, and create a model for a unique solution.

Seventh grade students tackle environmental issues during their Earth Science course, looking closely at issues relating to clean water and recycling. The current recycling program at St. David’s is run by seventh grade students, who

weekly collect recyclable paper from each classroom and office on campus.

During their community service day this fall, eighth grade students met with Dr. Morris and other design leaders to discuss a new playground on campus that

would be desirable for all students, pre-kindergarten though 12th grade. Working in small groups, the students talked about how the design would impact loca-tion, physical fitness, and more. They conducted surveys to ask the students and teachers their thoughts, and finally, they de-signed the playground.

Challenging these young think-ers to look at complicated issues and arrive at their own solutions is exciting for all involved in the Innovation Warriors program. Throughout their St. David’s career, students are being chal-lenged with the following: “Look at your world around you. What

do you see that would make this world just a little bit better? What can I create that will change it?”

54


Innovation Warriors and Design Thinking

MS science teacher Melissa Osbourne works with Lila Smith and Jackson Moore to deconstruct and analyze a digital piano keyboard.

Making a hair-raising discovery, Ariel Lee ’16 demonstrates physics concepts by al-lowing static electricity to course through her body. The class focuses on bringing concepts to life, with students creating everything from a ping pong cannon to a bicycle-powered smoothie blender, to an apparatus which analyzes trajectories of muddy golf balls.

Dr. Ted Morris, Program Initiator

He had an idea. Dr. Ted Morris, Associate Vice Chancellor of Engagement, Innovation and Eco-nomic Development at East Carolina University, fosters partnerships to encourage more entre-preneurial activity to stimulate investment and create jobs. As a St. David’s parent, he thought, “Why not introduce this concept to my daugh-ters’ school?”

Dr. Morris proposed an innovation workshop with St. David’s students to develop critical-thinking skills, foster entrepreneurship among even the youngest of students, and enable stu-dents to recognize their potential. The program was launched as a summer innovation camp, and the Innovation Warriors Initiative was born.

A couple of successful summers later, Lower School principal Michael Noto approached Dr. Morris about applying some of his techniques to the Lower School Science Festival. “We had changed the focus of our science festival in the

Lower school to celebrate the process of cre-ation and not simply the finished product,” ex-plains Noto. Rather than passive presentations with a tri-fold, “We were looking for our students to come up with solutions to common problems and actually see the process of design and prob-lem solving happen from start to finish.”

Dr. Morris was brought in and in concert with his creative and supportive colleagues, Wayne Godwin and Jim Menke, his expertise brought the capstone project to fruition in the fourth grade. “After identifying common concerns,” explains Noto, “students explore lots of pos-sible solutions to issues raised by their peers. The programs are real, as are the solutions.” The fourth grade students then research their ideas, develop a prototype, and present their fi-nal results at the science festival, where outside judges reward excellent design thinking.

Capitalizing on the creative spirit of the Lower

School’s science festival, Dr. Morris and Middle School Principal Neville Sinclair soon developed a program that continued this enthusiasm for innovation. Be-ginning in the fifth grade, students now participate in the Middle School Shark Tank where students pres-ent solutions to problems to a pan-el of supportive “investors.”

The flow of ideas continues throughout the Middle School curriculum. In the sixth grade, the World Cultures course includes a two-part innovation assignment called the Global Innovation Proj-ect. This project, which culmi-nates with the Global Innovation Trade Show in the spring, chal-lenges students to choose a major problem that affects Asia or Africa and propose, develop, and create a model for a unique solution.

Seventh grade students tackle environmental issues during their Earth Science course, looking closely at issues relating to clean water and recycling. The current recycling program at St. David’s is run by seventh grade students, who

weekly collect recyclable paper from each classroom and office on campus.

During their community service day this fall, eighth grade students met with Dr. Morris and other design leaders to discuss a new playground on campus that

would be desirable for all students, pre-kindergarten though 12th grade. Working in small groups, the students talked about how the design would impact loca-tion, physical fitness, and more. They conducted surveys to ask the students and teachers their thoughts, and finally, they de-signed the playground.

Challenging these young think-ers to look at complicated issues and arrive at their own solutions is exciting for all involved in the Innovation Warriors program. Throughout their St. David’s career, students are being chal-lenged with the following: “Look at your world around you. What

do you see that would make this world just a little bit better? What can I create that will change it?”

54


in the

Lower SchoolA colorful lemonade stand suddenly popped up in the Student Commons, and six fourth grade students be-

gan selling their refreshing beverage to Upper School students and faculty. As part of their math enrichment course, and under the guidance of enrichment teacher Tammi Palpant, these students developed a business plan, researched costs for items such as cups, lemons, and sugar, designed and constructed their lemonade stand, and staffed their booth during peak hours in the Student Commons.

“The students learned a variety of skills including measuring, fractions, decimals, giving change, marketing, hammering, painting, and even how to use a circular saw!” said Mrs. Palpant. “It was a great opportunity for stu-dents to learn that math is more than just numbers and rules.” Their plan included donating all their proceeds to ministry partners in Guatemala.

Lower School STEAM enrichment teacher Caitie Anderson takes the same approach, explaining, “Young stu-dents have boundless imagination and a willingness to jump at any idea. I want to foster that enthusiasm and direct it to setting and achieving goals.”

Traditionally, enrichment courses are designed to ‘enrich’ the classroom curriculum through art, music, lan-guages, PE or science. On the other hand, STEAM enrichment extends what students are learning in the class-room with project-based learning grounded in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math.

Taylor Winstead ’24 glues her Blue Foam prototype.

Isabel Mitchko ’24 watches Dillon Stallings ’24 cut out her prototype with a heated-wire cutter.

STEAM teacher Caitie Anderson gives Brock Phillips ’28 encourage-ment as he tries to figure out a building system that works.

Mae Cline ’24 and Chesson Becker ’24 try out their prototype -- a phone-like hairstyling device that displays various hairstyle images for the user.

In the Lower School, you may find students tending an herb garden, creating a shadow box theater, directing stop-animation movies, or embarking on entrepreneurial ventures. All of these are activities are intentionally designed to challenge the students to innovate and think critically, all in a fun, exciting environment.

It’s not unusual to see Ms. Anderson pulling a wagon full of laptop computers, moving from classroom to classroom. Her ability to engage even the youngest of users in computer-based projects is exciting. “Technol-ogy is the students’ tool, so I want them to be familiar with the applications, but also to know that technology is not simply entertainment,” she explained. “My favorite thing about technology is that you can get any question answered.”

Ms. Anderson’s class pages are full of vid-eos of her student’s projects. There are third grade “meteorologists” reporting the weather, using a green screen and their own script to help their audience prepare for their predicted severe weather. Fourth grade students, using TinkerCAD software, modeled their dream playground.

Even the youngest of our students are in-volved. Kindergarten students used their knowledge from a classroom unit about shad-ows and the sun to create shadow puppet shows. The students engineered a shadow puppet theater out of a box, wrote the script, recorded the audio, and produced their ver-sion of Goldilocks and the Three Bears on video.

“Students are seeing that these skills they’re learning can be applied to real life scenarios,”

Mrs. Palpant said. “A student actually said to me the other day, ‘I just love coming to this class because it’s not just doing problems, it’s figuring out that math is REAL.”

The educational opportunities don’t end with our students. Proceeds from the lemon-ade stand are donated to Lemonade Interna-tional, a Christian charity that serves the resi-dents of La Limonida in Guatemala City, the largest slum community in Central America. Lemonade International raises funds to sup-port education and humanitarian programs for this population of 60,000 residents.

From concept to real-life application, Lower School students engage in STEAM education, which fosters creative thinking and problem solving skills that will serve them well throughout their academic career and beyond.

76


in the

Lower SchoolA colorful lemonade stand suddenly popped up in the Student Commons, and six fourth grade students be-

gan selling their refreshing beverage to Upper School students and faculty. As part of their math enrichment course, and under the guidance of enrichment teacher Tammi Palpant, these students developed a business plan, researched costs for items such as cups, lemons, and sugar, designed and constructed their lemonade stand, and staffed their booth during peak hours in the Student Commons.

“The students learned a variety of skills including measuring, fractions, decimals, giving change, marketing, hammering, painting, and even how to use a circular saw!” said Mrs. Palpant. “It was a great opportunity for stu-dents to learn that math is more than just numbers and rules.” Their plan included donating all their proceeds to ministry partners in Guatemala.

Lower School STEAM enrichment teacher Caitie Anderson takes the same approach, explaining, “Young stu-dents have boundless imagination and a willingness to jump at any idea. I want to foster that enthusiasm and direct it to setting and achieving goals.”

Traditionally, enrichment courses are designed to ‘enrich’ the classroom curriculum through art, music, lan-guages, PE or science. On the other hand, STEAM enrichment extends what students are learning in the class-room with project-based learning grounded in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math.

Taylor Winstead ’24 glues her Blue Foam prototype.

Isabel Mitchko ’24 watches Dillon Stallings ’24 cut out her prototype with a heated-wire cutter.

STEAM teacher Caitie Anderson gives Brock Phillips ’28 encourage-ment as he tries to figure out a building system that works.

Mae Cline ’24 and Chesson Becker ’24 try out their prototype -- a phone-like hairstyling device that displays various hairstyle images for the user.

In the Lower School, you may find students tending an herb garden, creating a shadow box theater, directing stop-animation movies, or embarking on entrepreneurial ventures. All of these are activities are intentionally designed to challenge the students to innovate and think critically, all in a fun, exciting environment.

It’s not unusual to see Ms. Anderson pulling a wagon full of laptop computers, moving from classroom to classroom. Her ability to engage even the youngest of users in computer-based projects is exciting. “Technol-ogy is the students’ tool, so I want them to be familiar with the applications, but also to know that technology is not simply entertainment,” she explained. “My favorite thing about technology is that you can get any question answered.”

Ms. Anderson’s class pages are full of vid-eos of her student’s projects. There are third grade “meteorologists” reporting the weather, using a green screen and their own script to help their audience prepare for their predicted severe weather. Fourth grade students, using TinkerCAD software, modeled their dream playground.

Even the youngest of our students are in-volved. Kindergarten students used their knowledge from a classroom unit about shad-ows and the sun to create shadow puppet shows. The students engineered a shadow puppet theater out of a box, wrote the script, recorded the audio, and produced their ver-sion of Goldilocks and the Three Bears on video.

“Students are seeing that these skills they’re learning can be applied to real life scenarios,”

Mrs. Palpant said. “A student actually said to me the other day, ‘I just love coming to this class because it’s not just doing problems, it’s figuring out that math is REAL.”

The educational opportunities don’t end with our students. Proceeds from the lemon-ade stand are donated to Lemonade Interna-tional, a Christian charity that serves the resi-dents of La Limonida in Guatemala City, the largest slum community in Central America. Lemonade International raises funds to sup-port education and humanitarian programs for this population of 60,000 residents.

From concept to real-life application, Lower School students engage in STEAM education, which fosters creative thinking and problem solving skills that will serve them well throughout their academic career and beyond.

76


Shark TankMiddle School

Standing before a panel of visiting “Shark Tank investors”, middle school students pitch their creative ideas for solving real-world problems. “Desirability, feasibility, sustain-ability are what we look for,” explained Middle School Principal Neville Sinclair. Those three key concepts flow from the Lower School Science Festival into the fifth grade Shark Tank experience, where students developed ideas like original mobile apps, fabric sealers, and robotic drawing machines.

Mrs. Sinclair noted that throughout the

experience, “We wanted to build on what students had accomplished in fourth grade. They’re coming to us with these skills — so what does this look like in the Middle School? That’s where the Shark Tank experience came in.” Sinclair emphasizes the continuity of skill building, as does Melissa Osbourne, fifth grade science teacher. “We work for almost a month developing their Shark Tank ideas!” Osbourne said.

Student choice is key: “As teachers, we want the students to be interested and

“We want the kids

to be interested and excited about what

they’re learning.”

The Innovations of Fashion & Textiles class put their learning into practice, creating

new designs with unique materials, donating their products to a mis-

sions organization.

– Melissa Osbourne, 5th Grade Teacher

The Mix It Up team developed a concept to support the modern multitasker with a product that automatically stirs food that is

cooking on the stove, preventing sticking and burning.

and the

Fifth grade entrepreneurs Jackson Rouser, Kylie Neshat, Connor Lang and Philip Medlin present their “Mix It Up” idea to the sharks.

excited about what they’re learning. Students have the freedom to choose something they are passionate about, and this often brings a connection with a grandparent or a friend or their own interests.” This personal connection to a problem allows for even more community involvement. Osbourne reflected on how that outside touch made her content become even more exciting, explaining, “We had a graphic artist come in, and she drew out the designs. It made all the difference. Students saw their ideas

come to life in a professional way. They were pumped!”

A group of middle school-ers developed their grasp of these concepts in a new elective called “Innovations of Fashion & Textiles,” where they applied their knowledge with unique solutions, sewing their cre-ations themselves and donating them to a mission organization called “Little Dresses for Africa.” These sorts of opportunities

move students beyond simply “knowing” to the application of their knowledge in creative ways.

Anna Church ’21 measures her dressmaking materials

98


Shark TankMiddle School

Standing before a panel of visiting “Shark Tank investors”, middle school students pitch their creative ideas for solving real-world problems. “Desirability, feasibility, sustain-ability are what we look for,” explained Middle School Principal Neville Sinclair. Those three key concepts flow from the Lower School Science Festival into the fifth grade Shark Tank experience, where students developed ideas like original mobile apps, fabric sealers, and robotic drawing machines.

Mrs. Sinclair noted that throughout the

experience, “We wanted to build on what students had accomplished in fourth grade. They’re coming to us with these skills — so what does this look like in the Middle School? That’s where the Shark Tank experience came in.” Sinclair emphasizes the continuity of skill building, as does Melissa Osbourne, fifth grade science teacher. “We work for almost a month developing their Shark Tank ideas!” Osbourne said.

Student choice is key: “As teachers, we want the students to be interested and

“We want the kids

to be interested and excited about what

they’re learning.”

The Innovations of Fashion & Textiles class put their learning into practice, creating

new designs with unique materials, donating their products to a mis-

sions organization.

– Melissa Osbourne, 5th Grade Teacher

The Mix It Up team developed a concept to support the modern multitasker with a product that automatically stirs food that is

cooking on the stove, preventing sticking and burning.

and the

Fifth grade entrepreneurs Jackson Rouser, Kylie Neshat, Connor Lang and Philip Medlin present their “Mix It Up” idea to the sharks.

excited about what they’re learning. Students have the freedom to choose something they are passionate about, and this often brings a connection with a grandparent or a friend or their own interests.” This personal connection to a problem allows for even more community involvement. Osbourne reflected on how that outside touch made her content become even more exciting, explaining, “We had a graphic artist come in, and she drew out the designs. It made all the difference. Students saw their ideas

come to life in a professional way. They were pumped!”

A group of middle school-ers developed their grasp of these concepts in a new elective called “Innovations of Fashion & Textiles,” where they applied their knowledge with unique solutions, sewing their cre-ations themselves and donating them to a mission organization called “Little Dresses for Africa.” These sorts of opportunities

move students beyond simply “knowing” to the application of their knowledge in creative ways.

Anna Church ’21 measures her dressmaking materials

98


students to find solutions to common problems. The application of the class, however, is more involved and focuses on proposal, refinement, and

creation. Lower School Principal Michael Noto, who also teaches this Upper School

class, is passionate about bringing student ideas to life. “We start with an issue and have the students work independently or in teams to dream up solutions.

These solutions are then debated: what could make the idea better? What might make it stronger? Finally, students create a working model of their idea. Whether

they are cutting 2x4s with a table saw or working the 3-D printer, students have a physical representation of what previously lived only in their minds.”

“In this class,” explained Noto, “students develop both technical knowledge and hands-on skills that bring to life robots, tiny houses, re-imagined bicycle safety

helmets, and improved drainage systems, all in response to real world issues with real world applications.”

“I want the person who has the idea to also have the know-how to make it happen,” Noto added. “The main emphasis of this class is building and creating.” This isn’t a shop

class — it’s a reinvented way to foster creative problem solving by bringing ideas to life. “Students are yearning to get messy,” said Noto. “They want to get their hands dirty, to see

what they can create. In some ways, we are all drawn to the idea of making things.” Creative problem solving isn’t so much about teaching new concepts as it is fostering what is already

there in our students. “When it comes to creativity,” said Noto, “we just need to give them the right tools and get out of the way.”

InnovationPower tools and 3-D printers surround the

class space. The walls are painted bold, yet unobtrusive colors: the choices of the Upper

School students who painted “their” space last spring. The tone of the class fits the tone of the

paint color: here is a space where bold ideas are embraced, discussed and brought to life.

The premise of the semester-long Innovation and Design elective is simple: challenge Upper School

“When it comes to cre-ativity...give them the right tools and get out of the way.”

In practice

Chris Kuley ’18 Billy Coleman ’16

John DelPapa ’16– Michael Noto, Design Class Teacher

1110


students to find solutions to common problems. The application of the class, however, is more involved and focuses on proposal, refinement, and

creation. Lower School Principal Michael Noto, who also teaches this Upper School

class, is passionate about bringing student ideas to life. “We start with an issue and have the students work independently or in teams to dream up solutions.

These solutions are then debated: what could make the idea better? What might make it stronger? Finally, students create a working model of their idea. Whether

they are cutting 2x4s with a table saw or working the 3-D printer, students have a physical representation of what previously lived only in their minds.”

“In this class,” explained Noto, “students develop both technical knowledge and hands-on skills that bring to life robots, tiny houses, re-imagined bicycle safety

helmets, and improved drainage systems, all in response to real world issues with real world applications.”

“I want the person who has the idea to also have the know-how to make it happen,” Noto added. “The main emphasis of this class is building and creating.” This isn’t a shop

class — it’s a reinvented way to foster creative problem solving by bringing ideas to life. “Students are yearning to get messy,” said Noto. “They want to get their hands dirty, to see

what they can create. In some ways, we are all drawn to the idea of making things.” Creative problem solving isn’t so much about teaching new concepts as it is fostering what is already

there in our students. “When it comes to creativity,” said Noto, “we just need to give them the right tools and get out of the way.”

InnovationPower tools and 3-D printers surround the

class space. The walls are painted bold, yet unobtrusive colors: the choices of the Upper

School students who painted “their” space last spring. The tone of the class fits the tone of the

paint color: here is a space where bold ideas are embraced, discussed and brought to life.

The premise of the semester-long Innovation and Design elective is simple: challenge Upper School

“When it comes to cre-ativity...give them the right tools and get out of the way.”

In practice

Chris Kuley ’18 Billy Coleman ’16

John DelPapa ’16– Michael Noto, Design Class Teacher

1110


“My vision for St. David’s,” said Upper School Principal Scott Shaw, “is to create a culture in which students are empowered to learn and take ownership of the complexities of their world and to make an impact on the lives of others. My ultimate goal would be that when a student walks across the stage and is handed a diploma, the diploma is received with a spirit that is intel-lectually, emotionally and spiritually curious and courageous.”

In addition to the technology and innova-tion electives offered in the Upper School, high school seniors have the opportunity to construct their own course of study through the indepen-dent study program. This program affords stu-dents the opportunity to dig deeper into their own interests by proposing a course of study for themselves.

Every year, students take advantage of this opportunity in broadly diverse ways. Below are a few examples of this years’ independent study projects.

Three students interested in computer sci-ence choose to study the Python programming language through an online offering from MIT. But the similarities to their independent studies ends there. That one course would have such varied outcomes highlights the strength of the independent study program: it is both structured and flexible for each student, harnessing their in-dividual strengths. Cassidy Soutter ’16

“This school year, St. David’s offered an opportunity to take online programming classes. The first class we were assigned was a course in the coding language Python offered by MIT. I learned the basics of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more. These languages will help me to create a website and have a firmer understanding of computer science so I can pursue it further in college. This class has offered me the freedom to explore the complexities of computer languages and participate in a completely different level of com-munication.”Matthew Marting ’17

“I decided to take the class because I’d had no formal education in computer programming; while I was comfortable writing C++, I hoped to learn how better to design programs. I have thus far learned about the Python programming language, and more signifi-cantly, algorithms, including complexity and algorithms for sorting and searching lists. The class is on MIT’s OpenCourseWare website

“St. David’s offered an op-portunity to take an online programming class. The first class we were assigned was a course in the coding language Python offered by MIT. This semester I learned the basics of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and learned more Python. These lan-guages will help me to cre-ate a website and have a firmer understanding of computer science so I can pursue it further in college. This class has offered me the freedom to explore the complexities of computer languages and participate in a completely different level of communication.”

—Cassidy Soutter ‘16

THINKINGSTUDYINDEPENDENT

INDEPENDENTFOSTERS

“This opportunity [cre-ating alternative solutions to disposable water bottle usage] has morphed into a job-like experience and will positively impact me as I intend to pursue a degree and career in the environ-mental science field after I graduate from St. David’s.”

—Ty Dulaney ’16

1512


“My vision for St. David’s,” said Upper School Principal Scott Shaw, “is to create a culture in which students are empowered to learn and take ownership of the complexities of their world and to make an impact on the lives of others. My ultimate goal would be that when a student walks across the stage and is handed a diploma, the diploma is received with a spirit that is intel-lectually, emotionally and spiritually curious and courageous.”

In addition to the technology and innova-tion electives offered in the Upper School, high school seniors have the opportunity to construct their own course of study through the indepen-dent study program. This program affords stu-dents the opportunity to dig deeper into their own interests by proposing a course of study for themselves.

Every year, students take advantage of this opportunity in broadly diverse ways. Below are a few examples of this years’ independent study projects.

Three students interested in computer sci-ence choose to study the Python programming language through an online offering from MIT. But the similarities to their independent studies ends there. That one course would have such varied outcomes highlights the strength of the independent study program: it is both structured and flexible for each student, harnessing their in-dividual strengths. Cassidy Soutter ’16

“This school year, St. David’s offered an opportunity to take online programming classes. The first class we were assigned was a course in the coding language Python offered by MIT. I learned the basics of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more. These languages will help me to create a website and have a firmer understanding of computer science so I can pursue it further in college. This class has offered me the freedom to explore the complexities of computer languages and participate in a completely different level of com-munication.”Matthew Marting ’17

“I decided to take the class because I’d had no formal education in computer programming; while I was comfortable writing C++, I hoped to learn how better to design programs. I have thus far learned about the Python programming language, and more signifi-cantly, algorithms, including complexity and algorithms for sorting and searching lists. The class is on MIT’s OpenCourseWare website

“St. David’s offered an op-portunity to take an online programming class. The first class we were assigned was a course in the coding language Python offered by MIT. This semester I learned the basics of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and learned more Python. These lan-guages will help me to cre-ate a website and have a firmer understanding of computer science so I can pursue it further in college. This class has offered me the freedom to explore the complexities of computer languages and participate in a completely different level of communication.”

—Cassidy Soutter ‘16

THINKINGSTUDYINDEPENDENT

INDEPENDENTFOSTERS

“This opportunity [cre-ating alternative solutions to disposable water bottle usage] has morphed into a job-like experience and will positively impact me as I intend to pursue a degree and career in the environ-mental science field after I graduate from St. David’s.”

—Ty Dulaney ’16

1512


“My plan is to create a com-pletely electric car that would never need to be charged. So-lar panels and free energy gen-erators would replenish the battery’s charge. The goal is to make the car as close to 100% efficient as possible. The big-gest thing I’ve learned is that nothing is set in stone, and the best way to approach an idea is with an open mind.

—David PierceMatthew Marting ’17

Raiford Garrabrant ’16James Nye ’16

Zack Sfirlea ’16

der, Colorado, a national non-profit organization dedicated to pro-tecting the environment by teaching people to enjoy it responsibly. After this experience, I decided I wanted to continue learning about environmental issues and how to solve them.”

“The purpose of my study was to learn more of the importance of Leave No Trace principles and begin to implement them into the St. David’s community. Through this study, I have conducted a survey for the students and faculty, and organized meetings and confer-ence calls with teachers, faculty, and Leave No Trace staff. I am tak-ing what I have learned from the survey and beginning to implement

ideas to make our school more sustainable.”“I am working to decrease the number of disposable plas-

tic water bottles being used on campus and increasing re-cycling. My goal is to raise money through fundraisers and to donate water bottle fillers to the school. The reusable bottle filler counts and displays the number of disposable

bottles saved from the environment. Not only will this re-duce St. David’s ecological footprint, but it will save money

and reduce the number of bottles going to landfills. As part of this full year project, I have overcome many challenges — what I first thought would be a chance for me to teach myself about en-vironmental issues and educate the school has evolved into much more. This opportunity has morphed into a job-like experience and will positively impact me as I intend to pursue a degree and career in the environmental science field after I graduate from St. David’s.”

It’s exciting to think about the possibilities for learning and in-novating for students in the Upper School. “No idea should be dis-missed in the quest to be innovative,” Shaw notes. “My hope is that students will, over time gain more courage to think differently, and with creativity.”

and comprises recorded lectures and problem sets. The problem sets thus far usually involve writing a few functions to introduce specified features to a program. For the semester project, I wrote a simple implementation of Python’s lists, complete with various sorting and searching algorithms, in C++.”Zack Sfirlea ’16

My senior independent study was an online course in which I learned the fundamentals of the computer programming language Python through a course offered by MIT. With the knowledge I learned, I was able to create a fully functional text-based game. Although the course did not directly teach me how to do this, I was still able to use extended reasoning and complete this as my final project. I am glad I was given the opportunity to study something that interests me because I feel the knowledge I gained will help me further my studies and coursework when I attend college next year.

One of the points that our students make is the signifi-cance of actual creation and implementation. It’s not enough to simply design a product or come up with a clever idea. The implementation process gives our students real-world experience that is unmatched in another curricular area. Raiford Garrabrant ’16 and James Nye ‘16

“We worked to develop a waterproof case for WiFi base stations. We wanted to do this independent study to learn about what goes into creating a product, and all the trial and error that is required. The final project was the prototype of the case, and we learned that it is much more difficult to create a product than it is to simply design it.”Ty Dulaney ‘16

“I interned for Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics in Boul-

1413


“My plan is to create a com-pletely electric car that would never need to be charged. So-lar panels and free energy gen-erators would replenish the battery’s charge. The goal is to make the car as close to 100% efficient as possible. The big-gest thing I’ve learned is that nothing is set in stone, and the best way to approach an idea is with an open mind.

—David PierceMatthew Marting ’17

Raiford Garrabrant ’16James Nye ’16

Zack Sfirlea ’16

der, Colorado, a national non-profit organization dedicated to pro-tecting the environment by teaching people to enjoy it responsibly. After this experience, I decided I wanted to continue learning about environmental issues and how to solve them.”

“The purpose of my study was to learn more of the importance of Leave No Trace principles and begin to implement them into the St. David’s community. Through this study, I have conducted a survey for the students and faculty, and organized meetings and confer-ence calls with teachers, faculty, and Leave No Trace staff. I am tak-ing what I have learned from the survey and beginning to implement

ideas to make our school more sustainable.”“I am working to decrease the number of disposable plas-

tic water bottles being used on campus and increasing re-cycling. My goal is to raise money through fundraisers and to donate water bottle fillers to the school. The reusable bottle filler counts and displays the number of disposable

bottles saved from the environment. Not only will this re-duce St. David’s ecological footprint, but it will save money

and reduce the number of bottles going to landfills. As part of this full year project, I have overcome many challenges — what I first thought would be a chance for me to teach myself about en-vironmental issues and educate the school has evolved into much more. This opportunity has morphed into a job-like experience and will positively impact me as I intend to pursue a degree and career in the environmental science field after I graduate from St. David’s.”

It’s exciting to think about the possibilities for learning and in-novating for students in the Upper School. “No idea should be dis-missed in the quest to be innovative,” Shaw notes. “My hope is that students will, over time gain more courage to think differently, and with creativity.”

and comprises recorded lectures and problem sets. The problem sets thus far usually involve writing a few functions to introduce specified features to a program. For the semester project, I wrote a simple implementation of Python’s lists, complete with various sorting and searching algorithms, in C++.”Zack Sfirlea ’16

My senior independent study was an online course in which I learned the fundamentals of the computer programming language Python through a course offered by MIT. With the knowledge I learned, I was able to create a fully functional text-based game. Although the course did not directly teach me how to do this, I was still able to use extended reasoning and complete this as my final project. I am glad I was given the opportunity to study something that interests me because I feel the knowledge I gained will help me further my studies and coursework when I attend college next year.

One of the points that our students make is the signifi-cance of actual creation and implementation. It’s not enough to simply design a product or come up with a clever idea. The implementation process gives our students real-world experience that is unmatched in another curricular area. Raiford Garrabrant ’16 and James Nye ‘16

“We worked to develop a waterproof case for WiFi base stations. We wanted to do this independent study to learn about what goes into creating a product, and all the trial and error that is required. The final project was the prototype of the case, and we learned that it is much more difficult to create a product than it is to simply design it.”Ty Dulaney ‘16

“I interned for Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics in Boul-

1413


St. DaviD’S School

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As part of a STEAM enrichment project, fourth grade entrepreneurs applied math, technology, and art concepts to bring a multi-faceted, philanthropic venture to life. Read more about their creative problem-solving adventure inside.

Snapshot Innovation -- Spring 2016 v4.indd 18 5/2/2016 8:20:27 AM

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Snapshot: Innovation & Design Thinking