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A pair of Campbell River elementary schools have teamed up to create a new vision for self-regulating classrooms. With a little help from the community, they could win up to $50,000 to make that vision a reality. Sandowne Elementary and Ripple Rock Elementary joined forces this year to enter Canadian Scholarship Trust’s Inspired Minds Learning Project. The first round of nationwide voting has ended and, among the more than 250 entries from across the country, their idea finished in fifth place to advance to the final round of voting beginning May 25. The proposal submitted by these elementary schools is titled, “Revisioning the Elementary Classroom to Promote Self-Regulation.” Many students find the typical classroom somewhat restrictive to the natural way they learn. If Sandowne and Ripple Rock can win this contest, they hope to purchase furniture and equipment for their classrooms that promote self-regulation. Examples include; wobble stools to replace regular classroom chairs for students who have difficulty sitting still, standing work stations, and noise-
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cancelling headphones for students who need a quieter environment. “I see students on a daily basis who have difficulty learning in the traditional classrooms we have,” said Rob Hatfield, vice principal at Sandowne. “So much more is out there to support them as learners, and I want to provide the best opportunity for them as possible. “They spend hours every day in the classroom environment. If we can change aspects of that environment to support them as learners, it will pay huge dividends in the long run.” A year ago, Hatfield entered Sandowne in another CST contest for a project involving students writing stories, then “filming” them on a green screen and inserting scenes into the background. That project won $5,000 for the school. “Then they upped the money big time this year, with $250,000 in total prizes,” said Hatfield. “I thought if we teamed up with another school, we could increase our votes.” The main prizes for this contest are based on popular votes. The first-place idea will receive $50,000. The next two most popular ideas will each receive $25,000, and the
following two most popular ideas will each receive $10,000. During the previous two weeks of voting, Sandowne and Ripple Rock schools received 2,259 votes for their idea, averaging about 160 votes per day, which placed them in fifth place. The firstplace entry received just over 4,000 votes, which averages out to about 280 votes per day. Hatfield notes this is not a huge difference, and the two local schools are working hard to increase their support for the final round of voting. The public can help support these elementary schools by voting in the final round that began on Monday, May 25. The final round of voting takes place over a period of one week and the winners will be announced on June 9. Simply visit their proposal and register to vote. Voters have up to three votes per day. One vote when you login, and then a vote through Twitter and through Facebook. The schools’ full proposal on the Learning Project contest site can be viewed at learningproject.cst.org/ideas/575. You can also visit their Facebook page by searching “Revisioning the Elementary Classroom Contest Entry” on Facebook.
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