Math, chemistry, English. Sure, we know our kids are taking the basic school courses they need, but there are lots of innovative options to deepen their understanding. We’ve scoped out some unique programs implemented in everyday learning, taking education one step further.
Music to Our Peers
It makes us move, cheers us up, brightens the day and boosts any party – but did you know music can impact your child’s grades?
Locally-based Musicologie, opened in 2014 to offer private, one-on-one lessons to teach students how to read, play and appreciate music. The unique approach is exploration-based, as students work to discover what they love about music.
“Traditional music lessons can sometimes box kids in, and they get stifled when they’re forced to learn music they don’t enjoy. We want to create passionate music lovers,” Co-Founder Joseph Barker says.
The benefits to learning an instrument are myriad; sharpening brain development, practicing discipline, improving dexterity, motor functions and emotional intelligence.
“Learning a piece of music is really difficult,” Barker says. “For a child to come in and achieve this thing that’s really hard is a fantastic confidence booster.”
Studies show a correlation between learning an instrument and doing well in school. Barker came face-to-face with this reality when he started teaching a 6-year-old boy the drums. The student struggled with mild dyslexia, but after a few months of taking lessons and learning how to read music, his reading comprehension improved remarkably. His mother approached Barker and told him how much better her son was doing in school since learning the art form.
“It was a huge positive change in his life,” he says, “and it directly correlated with music.”
See Something, Say Something
Student safety is talked about now more than ever, especially at Grandview Heights High School. In December 2015, the school underwent six lockdowns due to incidents around the area – that’s when the administration decided things needed to change.
Assistant Superintendent Jamie Lusher says the school empowers their students with the motto, “See something, say something,” encouraging kids to report suspicious activity or anything out of the ordinary.
“It’s communicating if you see or notice something off,” Lusher says. “We want students to reach out to trusted adults and make sure we’re all safe.”
ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Information, Counter, Evacuate) training has changed in the 30 years since its creation, and Lusher says there is a whole different approach to protecting students in 2020.
“We’re slipping from that old model of hiding under the desk,” she says. “Research says that method doesn’t always work.”
After the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Grandview Heights students wanted to do something to send a message. The following week, seniors and juniors put encouraging notes on every single locker in the school and stood outside to clap and welcome each student who arrived.
The school’s Wellness for Life committee consists of members of the board of health, the parks and recreation department, local libraries, City Council, and more. Lusher says it’s about working together as a community and making sure everyone is on the same page with one single mission.
Parents Encouraging Responsible Choices
Parents know one of the most popular responses to the question, “What did you do at school today?” is “Nothing.” A dubious answer, at best. With so much happening in students’ lives, it can be easy for parents to fall out of the loop. That’s where P.E.R.C. comes into action.
P.E.R.C. (Parents Encouraging Responsible Choices) is an organization developed by Dublin parents who wanted to be more involved in their children’s school days. The group participates in programs specifically for parents, planning events and conversations based on the curriculum at school.
P.E.R.C. President Kathy Harter says the topics are relevant and important to the community, addressing issues that are on Dublin parent’s minds.
“It’s understanding where your student is in school and how to grow with them,” she says. “A lot of these topics are new to your kids, but they can also be new to parents too. It’s important to be open with your child.”
P.E.R.C. holds programs that cover suicide, cyberbullying, sex education and more. An upcoming program will address topics in the LGBTQ+ community. One event will have Dublin teachers and guidance counselors give insight to how parents can start and successfully have conversations with their kids.
“It seems like some of these things should come easy, but they don’t,” Harter says. “You need to think and really have a plan coming into it.”
STEM
It’s no secret that women are underrepresented in the science industry. With that in mind, the Columbus School for Girls developed not only STEM programs that give students the knowledge to break through that underrepresentation, but an environment where girls never view their gender as an obstacle.
BEN SIMON STUDIO
“It’s striking when you see our robotics team at competitions,” Head of School Jennifer Ciccarelli says. “Oftentimes they are the only all-girl school in attendance.”
CSG begins exposing girls to coding and computer at age 3. Every year, high school students participate in the Columbus School for Girls/The Ohio State University Summer Research Internship program. The experience guides young women who are interested in pursuing STEM in college; of the girls who have gone through the program, 94 percent went on to study a science-related field in college and 61 percent entered engineering programs.
“We think it’s important to keep data of the success of the program,” Ciccarelli says.
And for those women entering the STEM world, it can be lonely given the dearth of networks and support systems for females. That’s why CSG is working with the nonprofit H.E.R. (Her Education Revolution) Academy, which develops computer science programs for girls. Ciccarelli says the school wants to offer outlets where girls can not only learn more about STEM, but can be around young women with similar passions.
“We’re creating a network for women in STEM,” she says.
As a role model, CSG points to M.J. Yatsko, who graduated in 2010 and became the leader of the OSU Ecocar 3 Team. The effort is a four-year advanced vehicle technology competition that challenges students to take a Chevrolet Camaro and re-engineer it into a hybrid car.
“In the past five years at CSG, 49 percent of our students have decided to major in the STEM field,” Ciccarelli says, “and that’s just awesome.”
It IS Rocket Science
Columbus Academy works through Questworks Innovation Grants so students can apply for grants to create prototypes of advanced projects that aim to change the future. In recent years, students have created an eco-friendly windmill and a “smart” skateboard to assist with public transportation, cutting down on pollution.
Cooking Through Literature
The Wellington School’s after-school programs give students more than just homework. In unique classes such as Cooking Through Literature, kids in pre-K through first grade create tasty snacks inspired by a book they’ve read. Students grades second through fourth can learn the art of fencing and even get involved in CrossFit.
Mallory Arnold is an editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.