View the write up for the nomination below!

At St. Leonard, we believe that all students are 21st century learners. We strive to have our students be creative and innovative, have the ability to think critically and problem solve, and communicate and collaborate with others. We want them to be able to research and demonstrate media and information literacy in order to be successful after they leave school.

Because we believe that these skills are so important, we rearranged the middle school class schedule this year to create 20% Time, a class specifically targeted to these skills for the 6th through 8th grade. 20% Time is based on concepts from companies like Google and 3M that give their employees one day a week to work on any project they would like, as long as it has the potential to be something that could turn into a product for the company. Our goal is for our students to explore concepts that are important to them and which have an impact on others.

Initially we walked the students through the research and writing process and then embarked on a school-wide collaborative learning project to build competency in these areas before diving into individual projects of student choice. Students reviewed how to cite sources in their writing, create a works cited list/bibliography, and find reliable sources. Next students launched our school-wide collaborative learning project--turning our library into a full media center with makerspace.

The students began this project by brainstorming ideas which ranged from the very ambitious (adding a second-floor loft) to the more manageable (adding a Lego wall). They determined committees needed to complete their work and then applied for positions on the committees. Currently they work in small groups to handle everything from the budget to fundraising, to furniture to technology. They create agendas for meetings, keep detailed notes, and plan from these. They even created a public relations team to share their project with the outside world and to get the input of parish and community groups that use the space.

As students finish their planning, they will present their proposals to the school and parish councils for final approval and even take part in some of the actual work of transforming the space.

Students will soon transition into individual projects - questions or problems that they would like to answer or solve that are not routinely covered in school. Projects proposed by the students include creating a butterfly garden for migrating monarch butterflies, a website for different book fandoms, a website and business selling Derby fascinators, a 3D printed instrument, a video game that teaches multiplication and division, and a website to match volunteers with service opportunities.

As teachers, we have been blown away by the creativity the students have shown and are very pleased that the students recognize that the skills they are using in 20% Time also apply to core content area classes. Students have shown increased confidence in their writing, research, and public speaking skills. They organize meetings with project stakeholders, give presentations to the whole middle school, and even organize fundraising events. In addition, it has helped build and strengthen relationships - among the students in the differing grades, between the teachers and students, and among the four teachers who co-teach the class. Students are excited and so are the teachers.

Two 50 minute class periods a week may not sound like much for such a radical transformation of our middle school, but this one curriculum change has affected everything else. We are excited to see how this project grows and what projects are accomplished as the year progresses.

Students thoughts

" When they told us what the ice award is it seemed pretty cool but I thought that we will never win. About 2 months later Mrs.Ousley (Our 20% time teacher) told us that we were a finalist in the ice award. That surprised me because I thought that we won't even make it in the ice awards, but to be a finalist in it that is amazing. When I heard that we won I thought to myself this small school won a huge award and that blew my mind." - Noah L. 6th Grade

" It was pretty cool hearing that we were a finalist. I thought the people from New Orleans were going to win but we won and that was pretty awesome because we got money from winning and people from around the states heard of us. Which is pretty amazing to hear that we beat people in Wisconsin" - Tate C. 6th Grade

Winning the Ice Award was great. This is something that we never expected to happen. We are really excited about this award because we were nationally recognized. We would just like to say thanks for all the wonderful donations that followed this award.