Project Engage 2020

UMS-Wright Preparatory School

Project Engage 2020 Experience Report

Prepared by: Meridy Jones and Mary Courtney

2020 Project Engage ReportÂ

Understanding the Vision

What grew out of a collaborative effort to create a unique and potentially lifechanging learning experience was Project Engage. Our vision is to facilitate student learning beyond our gates, while gaining

This initiative is in direct

real-world life experiences and learning

cooperation with the 2018 Strategic

from field professionals.

Plan in "creating experience-based learning opportunities through additional immersive and exploratory learning experiences to

The courses/experiences were developed to meet three basic components: Offer an experience-based, crosscurricular learning opportunity for

further support UMS-Wright's

students.

Mission Statement.."

Allow students to invest in areas of personal interest to stimulate increased growth and understanding of individual potential.

Develop authentic relationships and sense of community with faculty and peers over shared interests.

2020 Project Engage Report

Experience-Based, Cross-Curricular Offerings I hear things, and I forget. I see things, and I remember. I do things, and I understand them. - Confucius

97%

OF THE 149 STUDENTS SURVEYED Believed that their course offered cross-curriculum study.

QUOTES FROM STUDENT SURVEY WHEN ASKED "WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE ASPECT OF PROJECT ENGAGE?"...

"Learning things I never would have otherwise probably learned"

"I liked the aspect of being able to go out into the real world and watch the things we learned being applied in everyday life."

2020 Project Engage Report

Delving into personal interests There is pressing concern for students to connect ideas to experience, especially when allowed to follow personal interests and strengths.

Kevin Bushweller writes in The Rising Relevance Gap, "... there is a growing argument that the most powerful, relevant learning for today's students is happening when they connect with the rapidly changing world beyond the school walls to solve problems, explore ideas, rally for a cause, or learn a new technical skill."

"My favorite aspect would be that each student has the ability to branch out and learn about things that they are interested in! That the student’s high school career isn’t filled with just core classes." -faculty

"The material we covered deepened my understanding of what we learned in the classroom." -student

1

1 THE RISING RELEVANCE GAP. By: BUSHWELLER, KEVIN, Education Week, 02774232, 1/9/2019, Vol. 38, Issue 17

2020 Project Engage Report

Building Authentic Relationships with Peers and Faculty "My Favorite part of project engage was definitely learning something with teachers I wouldn’t usually learn things with. I also got to learn about classmates I usually don’t have classes with."

"I met a lot of teachers and students that i had never really talked to before and that was cool to build those relationships I wouldn’t have otherwise built"

"The group of people that I experienced it with was a group that I wasn’t necessarily close too, so it helped me meet new people."

94.6%

OF SURVEYED STUDENTS BELIEVED THAT THEY DEVELOPED NEW OR STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEERS AND FACULTY OVER SIMILAR INTERESTS

2020 Project Engage Report

Why Project Engage? "..learning that you never know where life will lead you"Â -student "Oh my goodness! Where should I start?! I absolutely LOVED getting to know the students on a much deeper level - those who were currently in my classes and those who I had never even met before Project Engage. I loved seeing them get involved, jump in and get their hands dirty, play with special needs students at Kaleidoscope, and finally showing us where their hearts were when they presented their final project." -faculty member

"Great job; I will have to admit that I was skeptical at first but feel that this was a great complement to academics. Our son was really enthusiastic about the content, camaraderie and experience off campus." -parent

"The final project where student presented their project and expressed their takeaway from it. Our students were able to experience things and learn new skills that they would never have learned within our typical school schedule. I know they will use these in their life and build from them. I also loved the freedom to design something based on student needs and my talents/hobbies outside of school." -faculty member "Project Engage was a truly unique and valuable learning experience! The courses went above and beyond to 'engage' the students in a hands-on opportunity to learn in different ways." -parent

2020 Course Enrollments: Law & Society Cuisine & Couture Homegrown: What Makes Mobile Special Discovery Europe: Italy Service is Serious Business So You Want to be in the Medical Field?

Capitalizing on Music Art on the Coast Adulting 101 Intro to Archaeology The Business of Sports Sorting of the Sciences