Cry Baby the Musical
Stage 32 presented Cry Baby the Musical April 7-9 at U-32.
Theater in our Elementaries
Theater has a big role in our elementary schools. Kids love to prepare for and participate in dramatic productions both large and small. Here is a snippet of what’s going on these days.
Calais
This is the second year that first and second graders at Calais Elementary have been one of seven Vermont schools invited to collaborate with the ECHO Leahy Center and the Very Merry Theatre Company as part of the Waterways Stage Production. This project based learning experience combines science with drama in a hands-on, student led format. School groups pick an organism to study, and create a play to teach others about their species. This year the theme is threatened /endangered aquatic organisms and students are studying the Eastern Pearlshell Mussel which is the only threatened species in the Calais area. Sarah Adelaide, from the Very Merry Theatre Company is helping students develop, write and practice the play, while ECHO biologist, Nina Ridhibhinyo, teaches them about the greater Lake Champlain Watershed. Calais parent, VT Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Mike Wichrowski first introduced the Calais kids to the Eastern Pearlshell Mussel. Keep Reading
Jr. Iron Chef
Berlin Elementary sent two teams to the recent Jr. Iron Chef competition. They worked very hard to learn complicated recipes and represented Berlin with confidence. Congratulations “Can’t Beet the Bobcats” and Berlin Bakers!
Education is Changing
How do we know what they know now?
What would it be like to drive around in a car from 1920? It probably wouldn’t work very well. And it wouldn’t make much sense. Interestingly, we are currently using an educational system very similar to what was used over 100 years ago.
We have been very rooted in our traditional educational system which doesn’t necessarily serve the modern learner. Therefore we are trying to build a new system of education in Vermont that among other things can answer the question: “How do we teach students to be ready for jobs that might not even exist yet?”
For over a century, students have received a high school diploma based on the accumulation of credits earned for passing courses. This system has not necessarily ensured that students are actually ready for college or the job market. And many graduates leave high school unprepared to succeed. But, educators in Vermont think there is a better way.
That is: Proficiency Based Graduation Requirements (PRGR) that are based on Student Learning Outcomes (SLO, see graphic page 1). Beginning with the graduating class of 2020 (today’s ninth graders), students will graduate, not based on credits received for passing courses, but based on proficiency.
U-32 principal Steven Dellinger-Pate says, “We really want our kids to be prepared to assume their role in society. To be a contributor to our community, graduates need more than just knowledge, they need transferable skills, or soft skills such as problem solving and critical thinking.”