Our Current Cross-Curricular Project Based Learning Challenges/Competitions: 

Gamification For Good: Authentic Change Agency Initiatives Through Gifted Game Designs

Gamification is a 'hot-topic' in the educational field, providing a platform for multiple instructional design strategies that support gifted learners’ strategic thinking, assessment, and integration of content-specific topics. Gamification is an excellent opportunity to challenge gifted students to incorporate multiple levels of thinking that span across the content-specific domains. Gamification design aims to increase the participant’s engagement with special rules, rewards, goals, or systems. However, when students engage with a bonus level of depth and complexity, such as through the incorporation of a change agency theme, their project road map includes a deeper level of skill acquisition and civic responsibility. This allows students to see themselves as ‘influencers’ in two ways: The convergence of modalities for individual gaming strategy, and using their platform for impact as leaders and civically-minded social engineers. The fifth and seventh grade students' projects have just begun to take shape. They are creating unique games, through digital games, card games, board games, and even a trasuer hunt challenge! Through ‘Gamification for Good’, gifted students will demonstrate comprehension of the impact of a complex problem, which will encourage innovative ideas, design, and action to empower others who ‘game jam’, as critically conscious civic ‘change agents’.

What is the challenge for 2024? 

Pennsylvania agriculture contributes $132.5 billion to our state economy annually and supports more than 593,600 jobs, paying wages of $32.8 billion. Did you know that farmers use robots to help them? “High-tech Farming” is important especially as our population grows and food demand increases. Our team is being challenged to help our Pennsylvania farmers by creating an agricultural robot or other type of “high-tech farming” equipment that they could use.

Additional Middle School Challenge

Teams competing in the grades 6-8 division will also be asked to present a budget for their project. They will need to inventory each K’Nex piece they use and list a price for each piece. They will need to present their inventory and the overall cost of their project.

The 8th grade students are currently creating detailed and innovative environmental agency-based creations. This includes producing extensive engineering journals and blueprints, as well as preparing and rehearse presentations for the judges based on their innovations. They are very excited to produce their final products for the competition!

Welcome to the 2023-2024 What's So Cool About Manufacturing Contest!

The seventh-grade gifted students are halfway through their unique storytelling challenge as they work with MRC (Manufacturer's Resource Center) 'What's So Cool About Manufacturing' contest! https://www.whatssocool.org/

This PBL opportunity invites teams from around state in county-wide competitions to use digital media to tell the story of the company, include highlights that make the company a stand-out leader in manufacturing, as well as giving students the opportunity to present a theatrical, unique, and creative video, which will be evaluated by the MRC judging team! Last year, our student team was phenominal, and we were very proud of the product they produced. See last year's video here: https://youtu.be/9B6NuZu6TVg

This year's seventh-grade team took on the chalenge and has many skills to apply and is already doing a great job! The students are parterning with Eagle Metals, located in Leesport, PA. http://www.eaglemetals.com/

The students (5th-8th) have been working on various components of financial literacy and awareness through their various project submissions. Now, we will be anazlying our own financial awareness, focusing on an understanding of taxes, and saving vs. spending. We will culminate with the students creating their own financial plan for 2024!