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Campion Students Showcase Project-based Learning over Parent Weekend »

Posted on November 08, 2018

 Families of Campion students gathered last weekend for parent-weekend, during which students had the opportunity to show off the things they've been learning across multiple areas of curriculum. During the weekend, seniors shared spiritual lessons they learned during Senior Survival, the Music Department provided music for the church service and performed at an evening sacred concert. The gym was packed annual Fall Festival on Saturday night, and parents had the opportunity to talk individually with each of their student’s teachers on Sunday. The culminating activity was the showcase of student projects from English, world history, geography, art and physics classes.

 

   Nate Marin’s geography class performed traditional dances in costume from a variety of countries. Divided into groups, students did an in-depth study of one country throughout the semester and presented their learning in multiple formats, including dance, food, infographics, digital maps, and physical mobiles. 

   Eloi Dos Santos, senior, commented on the work involved in creating these projects. “In my group, I am responsible for providing typical food from Venezuela. I’ve been working on the 3D-Printer, the clothing for our dance, and providing some ideas for our physical mobile. Studying about Venezuela wasn’t an easy job because their culture is quite contrasting, but it was interesting to learn about their lifestyles, religions, traditional foods, and dances,” he explained. 

   Sophomores shared their learning from reading Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in English class and world history students shared their discoveries from studying the social classes of ancient Rome, displaying a newspaper they produced containing articles they wrote on historical information, daily life, and societal problems. They wrote and performed satirical skits depicting some of those problems for the audience of parents and students. "Their understanding of ancient Roman societal issues and their sense of humor were clearly evident in their skits!" commented Jill Harlow, English teacher. 

   Jim Hughes’ art class created visual puns and did their best to communicate the idea through their choice of visual media. Their work included many thought-provoking pieces with paintings and mixed-media sculptures and was on display in Hankin’s Hall tower. 
   
   Kent Kast’s physics class was tasked with designing mini-bridges from wooden popsicle sticks. Using the laws of physics to determine potential strength and durability, the student creations were tested for structural integrity by piling on weights up to the point of collapse. The winning bridge, designed by Jordi, Caleb, and Nathaniel, held up all the weights available—about 150 pounds!  

   Each of these projects represented hours of deep academic content learned in classes and it was meaningful for the students to have the opportunity to share a small piece of what they have been learning with their parents. As Dos Santos put it, “It was a great opportunity for the parents to spend time with their children and see the great things that they have accomplished.”

-- Jill Harlow; photos by Jill Harlow, Kent Kast, and Jim Hughes