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Washington Jr. High offers innovative courses

3 min read
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Washington seventh-graders Jonathan Berumen, left, and Tayshawn Levy program a robot to shoot a basket during robotics class.

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Washington eighth-graders Maleik Meredith, left, and Tyrell Dunn print restaurant logos for a collaborative STEAM class that combines technology, art and family consumer science.

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Students Cierra King, left, and Makenzie Rhoads troubleshoot their robot.

On a Wednesday morning, students in Jay Huss’s class talk in groups and bustle from station to station.

Some consult computer screens while others toil at tables, searching through bins of plastic pieces, sensors and wires.

“I’ll change it to a four,” a student calls to his teammate as he rushes to a computer.

Huss is not bothered by this atypical classroom behavior. In fact, he’s pleased.

“They get into it,” said Huss. “They know what needs to be done and learn from their mistakes.”

Washington Junior High School is implementing nontraditional courses into the curriculum intended to pique student interest and prepare them for careers.

In Huss’s Lego robotics class for seventh-graders, students program robots to carry out simple tasks, like navigating a maze or shooting a tennis ball through a hoop.

On the Lego website, the company says the curriculum develops 21st century learning skills and enhances critical thinking and creativity.

Huss agreed, saying his students are enthusiastic and confident in their newly formed skills.

“I have seen instant immersion in this field,” Huss said. “(The students) are such perfectionists. They want to prove to themselves they can do it. The possibilities and challenges are endless.”

Based on the success of the pilot program, the district created an advanced elective in robotics and formed a robotics club.

“It’s completely transformed what we’re doing,” said Principal Chet Henderson. “Students come to us knowing more about computers than we do. The thought was, how can we take it to the next level?”

A STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) class for eighth-graders combines technology, art and family consumer sciences. Students rotate through all three classes, spending time with each teacher to develop a restaurant, including a theme, menu and interior design.

Students prepare a dish from their menu.

“They have really gotten into it,” said Corbi Coffield, family consumer science teacher. “Some of them really ran with it and even brought in family recipes from home.”

In technology education teacher Tyler Phillips’ class, students work on the marketing aspect of the project, creating logos for fliers and business cards.

In art teacher Tom Bryker’s class, they design the interior of the restaurant and adhere to a color scheme.

“The kids are actually seeing real-world applications of what they can do,” said Bryker.

Henderson said the district is committed to innovative instruction.

“This is where education is going,” he said. “It’s all about collaboration.”

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