Courtesy Collegiate School
What does it take to get around Richmond without a car? Collegiate School 8th Graders find out firsthand by riding a GRTC bus from Willow Lawn to downtown, discussing pedestrian safety with the city’s Safe and Healthy Streets Commission, and learning to fix a flat tire at VCU’s RamBikes.
These off-campus outings are much more than field trips. At Collegiate, an independent JK-12 school in Henrico County, Middle Schoolers regularly venture into the city to understand its challenges firsthand, meet the people working to address them, and develop ideas that could benefit the community.
In 8th Grade, experiential learning culminates in Envision Richmond, a capstone the School has offered for more than a decade. The program centers on the Richmond 300 plan, the city’s long-term growth vision for a more equitable, sustainable, and beautiful Richmond by its 300th birthday in 2037.
“When students go out into the community and see what’s happening, it’s the best type of education,” says 8th Grade English teacher Wendi Moss, Ph.D., who oversees Envision Richmond. “Place-based learning really sticks with you.”
Envision Richmond builds on opportunities students have to connect with the city in earlier Middle School grades. In 5th Grade, Collegiate students explore the importance of water to civilizations and visit sites such as Pump House Park along the James River. In 7th Grade, as part of their Connect Richmond community service project, they study Richmond’s neighborhoods, walking through areas such as Oregon Hill, Manchester, and Jackson Ward to investigate architecture, green spaces, and affordable housing. At the end of the project, students showcase maps and infographics they created of the neighborhoods they researched. By 8th Grade, they are ready to examine the city’s challenges more deeply and consider how they might help address them.
Courtesy Collegiate School
All of the 8th Grade’s 144 students participate in Envision Richmond. Working in small groups focused on topics drawn from the Richmond 300 plan, they learn about issues related to affordable housing, transportation, safe streets, clean air and water, historic preservation, tourism, urban design, and healthy communities. Students pick the topics that most interest them.The Envision Richmond experience is inspired by curiosity and encourages students to think creatively and discover their love of learning. This type of experience is not motivated by a grade.
Before delving into the issues, however, the 8th Graders build a foundation for understanding the city. Early in the school year, they raft on the James River and take community walks. Rafting gives them a unique perspective on the city’s seven-hills geography while requiring them to work as a team. The walks help them notice patterns in the natural and man-made environments, giving them a shared vocabulary for examining complex urban issues.
With that groundwork in place, students research their topics, learn design-thinking techniques, and prepare questions for community experts. Design thinking is an approach to problem-solving that values creativity, empathy, and collaboration.
The research then takes students into the community. During the main project week in the fall, each of the dozen or so groups visits four to six of Collegiate’s 55-60 community partners, including nonprofits, public agencies, businesses, and other organizations. The visits combine conversations with hands-on activities. Depending on their topic, students might measure air quality, explore transportation options, examine housing challenges, or help prepare food boxes for people facing food insecurity.
“The order of where they go is designed to tell a story of the problem,” Moss says. “I want the students to see that they’re going to these places because each is impacting this topic.”
These experiences help students move from learning about a broad issue to considering how it affects an individual. They work to understand a particular person’s needs and develop a possible solution. At the end of the week, community partners come to Collegiate to hear the students’ presentations and offer feedback. Sometimes, the students’ ideas are readily actionable. Past examples include a proposal for ice cream cone wrappers featuring Richmond history and a practical way to address employment barriers faced by military veterans. “Students can learn something from the community partners, but the partners also get something from us,” Moss says.
Courtesy Collegiate School
In the spring, students create time capsules documenting what they learned, what they observed about Richmond, and what they hope will change over the next five years. The time capsules will be opened during their five-year Collegiate class reunions.
Along the way, Moss says, Middle Schoolers develop skills that aren’t always taught in a classroom: asking thoughtful questions, communicating with unfamiliar adults, and seeing an issue from another person’s perspective.
Ultimately, the program is an opportunity for the city and the School to learn from each other. Students gain firsthand knowledge of Richmond, while community organizations benefit from the fresh perspectives, curiosity, and creativity young people bring.
For more than a century, Collegiate School has empowered children to discover who they are, recognize their potential, and grow into inquisitive thinkers, responsible citizens, and compassionate leaders. To learn about the admission process, visit our website or call (804) 665-1754.
The post Do You Know More About Richmond Than a Collegiate Middle Schooler? appeared first on Richmond BizSense.
