High School Highlights: 1st Nine Weeks
Opening Library "Walls" to Support Students Anytime and Anywhere:
Rebecca Hardin, school librarian at Glen Allen High School taught research skills to students working on a Holocaust research project. After students conducted and presented their research, Hardin accompanied them to the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond, Va. The students were able to make authentic connections by meeting with a Holocaust survivor. Students also had the opportunity to go beyond their library walls to explore the exhibit and view artifacts from the time period.
Community-Supported Lessons:
Nyala Johnson, Veterinary Assistant I class (home school: Varina H.S.)
“I learned about communication and eye contact. I actually had an interview that day, and I did really well. They wanted to hire me on the spot! The preparation was useful, and I enjoyed it. The speaker (Mr. Rose) was interactive and made it fun.”
Ronald James, Sports Medicine class (home school: Highland Springs H.S.)
“I learned to be confident in an interview, and to get to the point quickly. I learned about writing resumes and to be consistent – space everything the same way. I learned to come prepared. I think this information will be useful down the road.”
Students at the ACE Centers at Hermitage and Highland Springs had the opportunity to practice future-ready skills with guidance from the librarian, classroom teachers, and Bryan Rose, M.A., Lead Career Counselor, VCU School of Business Services. Students participated in mock interviews with business and industry partners and practiced introducing themselves to prepare for future professional opportunities.
Student-Owned Learning in the Library:
Spooky Stories has been at Varina High School for many years. This year, school librarian Carol Glatt, had book club students take ownership of the reading program and plan a day of fun for the Exceptional Education students. The book club students met for a productive thirty minute planning period in the library. The students planned a scary story, spooky music, and a fall craft. Teach for Tomorrow student, Stephanie, took on a leadership role and even consulted with teachers to take food allergies into consideration. Students enjoyed sweet and salty treats. They listened to music like Monster Mash, Thriller, and Five Little Pumpkins. A student rehearsed reading "More Scary Stories" and wanted to make sure she impressed her audience. Students partnered with Exceptional Education students and collaborated on painting mini pumpkins for a fall craft. All of the students had a fabulous time thanks to the student ownership and preparation. Stephanie said, “This was way harder than I thought it would be. There are a lot of things you have to consider, like what are the allergies, even who sits where. But it was really fun.”
Authentic and Connected Learning Opportunities:
Highland Springs High School has partnered with Black Man Read, a local 501(c)(3) organization, throughout the first quarter. Their organization aims to work through "mentorship and advocacy" to "improve educational outcomes and foster a lifelong love of reading." They partially funded a spoken word workshop with Roscoe Burnems from The Writer's Den. He worked with our creative writing classes and other students on perspective and duality in writing. One student, who was present for the workshop, said that he completed every writing assignment since that workshop, and he credits Mr. Burnems and that event with inspiring and motivating him. Additionally, we requested support from Black Men Read to fund a movie field trip for students reading The Hate U Give. Black Men Read raised $450 for that event to offset the cost for each student. There were almost 200 students total on that field trip!