The Imaginarium, with Ms. Venable and Mr. Leach, is where students can let their imaginations guide them through the design-thinking process to learn and create at a deeper level while making real-world connections. We creatively problem-solve current issues within our school and community for the good of all. Students are challenged and have opportunities to engage in daily learning experiences that connect to the world around them through a variety of outdoor and indoor spaces including an aquaponics garden, hydroponics towers, greenhouse, butterfly house and garden, multiple raised gardens for herbs and vegetables, livestock areas, ponds, and a nature trail.
Art Special - Mrs. Mitchell is the Visual Arts teacher for K-5th grades. She is entering her 12th year teaching art at the elementary level. She taught at a school that was the first nationally certified STEM elementary school in the state of Georgia. Mrs. Mitchell believes that when children are encouraged to think creatively, they are more likely to engage in experimentation, which fosters critical-thinking, problem-solving and innovation skills. Please LIKE the West Jackson Elementary ART Facebook page to see what is happening in the art room.
Technology Special - Mrs. Waldrip is the Media Arts/Digital Skills teacher. She is in her 24th year of teaching and has taught elementary and high school with degrees in Music Education and Instructional Technology. Beginning in kindergarten with Clever and Seesaw, WJES students learn how to use technology tools to share their learning experiences through recording, drawing, typing, and digitally creating. Each year students add to their skillset and use more detail to explain and show their mastery of different subjects and their passion for personal choice projects. Once students reach 3rd grade they begin using Canvas to document their learning and organize their work. Media Arts is produced using Canva. Investigative research is done using Galileo, PebbleGo Next, and other reputable websites using best practices while searching. In grades, 3-5 students document their learning using tech tools such as iMovie, Flipgrid, Google Slides, Podcasts, Soundtrap, and Screencastify.
Music Special - Mrs. Cleveland is the music specialist for K-5th grades. She is in her 15th year teaching music and has taught a variety of different age groups. Mrs. Cleveland is a musician who sings and plays a variety of instruments. She holds a Bachelor of Music and a Masters of Music Education. Her lessons engage students in a way that fosters creativity and encourages outside the box thinking. She is passionate about teaching her students how to connect with music in their everyday life. Follow the music room on Instagram and Twitter @wjesmusic.
Media Specialist - We use multiple resources to dig deeper into the topics that students encounter in the classroom and in their community. By using technology as a tool, students learn to respond and present information in a variety of methods. Curiosity is encouraged and explored beginning in Kindergarten and developed into action responses by Fifth Grade. By using the design thinking process, students learn through educated trial and error the best way to meet the challenges they face in and out of the classroom. We’ve also created a “makerspace” that students can visit to create and collaborate in a nonthreatening environment.