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One of the concerns Prince Edward, and a majority of other school districts, faced during the year involved chronic absenteeism. How do you help students improve when they’re not in class? And while some of those absences were due to a lack of transportation or sickness, others simply didn’t want to come to class. If the data from summer school is any indication, more hands on learning projects might be the key. 

During the Prince Edward School Board’s meeting on Wednesday, July 10, the group went over data from this year’s summer school classes, finding that 16 students fully

recovered courses on the high school level and 12 got the verified credits they needed to graduate. But beyond that, one of the bigger stories was attendance. Nearly 80% of all groups showed up on a regular basis. An average of 95 students came for elementary classes, with 80 showing up in middle school and 25 on average in high school. 

The difference, across the board, is that the majority of these classes worked on project based learning. The schools provided some creative projects and in turn, it kept students engaged. 

Summer school projects in elementary 

Take, for example, grades K-4 at the elementary level. The students were asked to design a new classroom, that could fit in the soon to be renovated school. 

“We wanted to see and hear what they wanted for a new school, because they’re the ones that will be using it every day,” said Teacher Ashley Ross. 

Kindergarteners learned about the construction process, by playing with and building 3D classroom models and creating what they wanted their playground to look like. First graders learned about Ozobots, which are computer coding robots, creating a playground design for their ozobot to play on for recess. In other projects, they had a sand pit to experience for science, they turned liquids to solids, made ocean slime, made jellyfish to talk about ocean animals, made animal habitats. 

Second graders researched new school and playground designs from around the country to spark inspiration for their design project. Students had to write a persuasive essay about what materials they would need to build their dream classroom. 

One wanted LED lights in their classroom, Ross said, while another suggested an in-class bathroom so they wouldn’t have to leave class. Then you also got some very creative thoughts, that we’re not quite sure the school board would sign off on. These would be things like a pet tiger for the classroom or a gorilla that stays on the playground. 

“They got very creative,” Ross told the board. 

For third grade, students got hands-on learning to work with blueprints. Given a $10,000 imaginary budget, they had to put together a classroom. Things like teacher desks and tables had to be included, but otherwise, it was up to them. And so, there were a couple things in the blueprints like a Kool-Aid fountain. 

Hands-on learning gets attention 

On the middle school level, the focus was introducing students to real world skills they would use after graduation. In English, students learned market research and how to create a business plan. They wrote letters to different groups, requesting funding. They also had to create budgets and learn how to manage money. 

Eighth graders used drones to make a topside angle drawing of the middle school. 

School board member Dr. Susan Kimbrough said she visited classes during the summer school session, asking students about what they were learning. 

“I asked those kids questions about math and reading and learning and they were nervous, but I came away with the sense that those kids were learning, but they were learning in a way that was fun,” Kimbrough said. “I came away hoping that we can figure out a way to implement more project based learning throughout the year.”