Do you want
to know a secret? Last week ended with a
several exciting announcements for Isle of Wight County Schools. We unveiled our educational plans for both
Smithfield and Windsor High Schools. And
we had a major donation from Smithfield Foods in support of our vision for high
school redesign. Somehow we were able to
keep that a secret for over two months before the official announcement.
So why make
these changes? The proposals we
presented support our vision, which is to create a learning environment that
enables every child to discover his or her unique talents and gifts. We
strongly believe in focusing on the process or the journey that students take
in their learning and less on the outcome. To become innovators our students
need to be allowed to stumble and make improvements along the way. We do not believe this can be accomplished
without redesigning the high school experience for our students.
In early
2016, we hosted a business roundtable where representatives from business and
industry shared with educators the skills students need to be successful in
their company. We learned from the
business leaders that students need experiences different from what they are
getting in the traditional classroom.
Collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and communication were the
skills they identified students should have in order to be effective employees. In addition, they need hands-on,
real-world experiences, both in and out of the classroom.
The plan we
shared last week emphasizes our commitment to preparing our students for
college, career and life. At Smithfield
High School, we will retrofit the old “E” Building behind the school to
accommodate several Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. There will be a commercial-grade kitchen for
Culinary Arts, a MakerSpace for students to design and build their own products
and creations, a realistic lab for the Nursing program, as well as labs for
welding, mechatronics and global logistics.
A generous $3 million donation from Smithfield Foods will be used to
establish the Smithfield Foods Legacy Project.
The funding will support the MakerSpace area, as well as a JROTC
fieldhouse and a Multi-Use Pavilion. Specifically,
the donation will enable us to provide the kind of spaces where students will
be able to use their minds, their hearts, and their hands to create beautiful
quality work. Windsor High will be home to a Greenhouse, Construction Lab and
Cosmetology program. To expand on the
highly successful Ag program, we plan to use land behind Windsor Elementary
School to construct a working farm.
While most
of the plan focuses on career and technology programs, there are components in
the re-design that modify existing spaces into areas that encourage
collaboration, showcase student work and facilitate a healthy lifestyle. Both high schools will see renovated
cafeterias and media centers, as well as the conversion of other areas into
more collaborative settings. At Windsor High, that includes an Outdoor
Classroom, Art Courtyard and changes to the existing space for Outdoor Dining.
Smithfield High will have an exercise/fitness room for use by students and
staff, and an Athletic Fieldhouse with a weight-room for all sports’ teams.
By
reallocating the money currently budgeted for the Pruden Center, which we will
no longer attend next year, in conjunction with some adjustments to our current
funding, and the significant donation from Smithfield Foods, we will be able to
make all of these projects a reality.
The changes
coming to Smithfield and Windsor High have been recognized by others as
necessary to prepare students for a global economy. In his remarks to SHS students, Smithfield
Foods CEO Ken Sullivan addressed the importance of keeping up with changing
needs of businesses and industry.
"You have to change; you have to innovate; you have to adapt in
education, just as you do in the business world. If you don't, you will not be
successful." An editorial in the
Daily Press on February 13 also praised the vision we have for our high
schools.
High school students who have an early eye
toward their career paths will be able to learn a wide range of technological
skills — for example, welding — that will give them tremendous advantages in a
job market that is looking hard to find prospective workers with specific
skills and certifications. For students
to be able to acquire these skills as part of their public high school
education is an immeasurable benefit.
I’m
attaching the presentations that were shared with students, staff and the
community at SHS and WHS so you can see what each plan includes. I am also listing links to several articles written
about the plans for both high schools, including the donation from Smithfield
Foods. I look forward to sharing our
progress on these plans with you in a future blog.
Links to News Coverage
