Chugwater charter school hosts first spring showcase
Posted 5/29/24
By Lisa Phelps lphelps@pcrecordtimes.com CHUGWATER — It was a full house for the school in Chugwater with school doors open to the community to visit the classrooms and see the accomplishments …
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Chugwater charter school hosts first spring showcase
Jaydon (left) and Jayson Spring explain some of the work they have done in the seventh-grade ag/mechanics elective class. They have practiced MIG, Arc, TIG, and AC/DC welding.
They took apart, cleaned, and repaired an old generator so it is “up and running,” and have been modifying a go cart to make it fit an adult, which Jayson said has been “quite a fun project!”
Lisa Phelps
Volunteer guitar teacher Dean Webster (l-r), senior Jonathon Smith, community volunteer music teachers Diane Hellbaum and volunteer Mesa Winger (eighth grade), sophomore Toby Seale, junior Judson Norfleet and freshman Savanah Norfleet played and sang John Denver’s “Take me home, Country Roads,” with Smith taking the lead on vocals.
Third grader Joe Miller shows classmate Graham Nix the monster truck he made. He said he chose the project because it was the closest thing to a real one he could get. Nix made a 3-D model of a WWII battlefield, demonstrating where allied and axis forces were located, and the effect the battle had on the town. He said he read a book about the battle and wanted to model the victory for the allies that made a difference over the course of the war.
Kindergarten through second-grade students sing to the audience under the direction of Diane Hellbaum.
Lisa Phelps
There was a full audience of parents, staff, and community members in attendance to celebrate the conclusion of a successful first year in operation as a charter school at the Spring Showcase presented by Prairie View Community School in Chugwater.
Annie McDonnell was invited to give a speech to present her Genius Hour project to create a functional robot that functions like an Alexa. She demonstrated the trial and error process she went through to create a physical model and the computer code she wrote for the robot.
“Hands-on learning is critical for them to problem solve and absorb learning, to explore and conduct research, to demonstrate knowledge and cultivate a deep sense of learning.”
— Dicky Shanor,
Wyo. Dept of Ed. chief of staff”
By Lisa Phelps
lphelps@pcrecordtimes.com
CHUGWATER — It was a full house for the school in Chugwater with school doors open to the community to visit the classrooms and see the accomplishments of Prairie View Community School students.
Finishing up their first year of operation as a charter school, PVCS has provided opportunity for its students to “learn by doing,” following up core curriculum studies with inquiry-based learning. Students are presented problems by their teachers, which they must use their knowledge and resources to solve. Then they take things a step further and create something to demonstrate what they have learned. Additionally, in what is called “Genius Hour” they are given time in the week to work on a project of their own choosing – after they present their idea for approval.
During the showcase, students displayed their favorite projects and gave presentations to an audience, explaining their project and answering questions.
Following presentations there was an all-school assembly and awards ceremony where the audience was entertained with a music showcase, giving students an opportunity to share the musical skills they have been learning under the tutorship of community volunteers in enrichment activities after school.
Wyoming Department of Education chief of staff, Dicky Shanor, attended the showcase and was a guest speaker during the assembly. “I want to congratulate you all on your first year as a charter school. There has been so much work to get you all here today, but it is worth it.”
Shanor said there is a national movement to center learning around hands-on critical thinking. Even here in Wyoming, “we are realizing we need to move in that direction.”
He brought up the subject of technology and generative artificial intelligence, stating how it is changing our world, and “Education’s got to engage kids and get them away from their screens. Hands-on learning is critical for them to problem solve and absorb learning, to explore and conduct research, to demonstrate knowledge and cultivate a deep sense of learning.”
