Polestar - Design Thinking

The Ramsey High School Design Lab is an innovative educational initiative that uses Design Thinking methodology to foster creative and innovative thinking at the high school level. The Design Lab is modeled after the Design Thinking program at Stanford University’s d. School. The goal of the course is to foster the skills and dispositions associated with complex, creative problem-solving and to promote innovative work cultures that build capacity for economic and social change. The Design Lab partners with companies and social entrepreneurs that are interested in gaining human-centered insights and design solutions through the unique lens of the high school demographic.

Each Design Thinking class engages in a complex real world challenge that needs to be addressed with skillful precision and depth. These challenges are brought to us by partners from corporations, organizations, and government. Designers on our teams learn the Design Thinking Process before the challenge for the semester is revealed. On October 27th, our Design Thinking Team visited the headquarters of our Design Lab partner this semester, Polestar electric cars. Our students met with executives, toured the facility, and in an effort to gain empathy, they were given the opportunity to drive a Polestar electric car!

We are particularly excited to partner with Polestar this semester because we have a great deal in common with our respective approaches. To begin, the name Polestar means North Star. The North Star is significant because it remains consistent and thus it guides you as you navigate through life, or simply put, it enables you to get where you set out to go! Polestar’s goal is to change the industry for the better and sell a quality car. We refer to our Profile Of A Ramsey Graduate as our North Star. We have set out to graduate students who possess requisite skills, experiences, and mindsets that will allow them to thrive individually and contribute to our society as a whole.

Another major Polestar mindset is “the sky's the limit”. We share this sentiment in how we encourage our students to take academic risks, learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable, overcome obstacles, and to continually grow. We seek to provide experiences and opportunities that allow our students to thrive in a rapidly changing world, and be the best version of themselves. Polestar is fascinated by design and innovation. They began by leveraging the proven Volvo platform with its track record of performance, safety, and reliability in order to bring the driving experience to the next level. In Ramsey, we leverage modern instructional practices to enhance the student experience, in order to bring student outcomes to the next level. We look forward to updating you on the design team’s progress.

As always, thank you for your support and GO RAMS!

Michael J. Thumm Ed.D. Ryan Esdale, Ed.D.

Principal Supervisor of Education Gr. 9-12 and Student Welfare

Congratulations to the Big Blue Marching Band and Guard! The band scored an 89.15 and are the 2021 Chapter 10 Champions!