RADFORD – Three Radford City Public Schools programs have been recognized by the Virginia School Boards Association as VSBA Showcases for Success.
“As a means of encouraging community awareness and positive coverage of public education, the Virginia School Boards Association” initiated a “Showcases for Success” program in public education,” according to the VSBA. This year, 116 programs across the Commonwealth were recognized, with three of those in Radford.
One of the Radford City programs recognized is Belle Heth Elementary’s Friday Clubs, held each semester and are sponsored by staff, Radford University interns, and community members. In the fall, the clubs are based on staff interests, and in the spring the focus is “maker clubs.”
“Staff members share their passion and interests with students through clubs such as tennis, magic, cooking, random acts of kindness, coding, 3D design and printing,creating comics, cooking,chess, art, film, origami, and garden club,” reads a description of the program. “In the Spring, we have Maker Clubs. We promote making and the design process. We want students to acquire new skills and use their hands to make and sell goods. Students may choose from sewing, crochet, kitchen creations, duct tape creations, garden, Cricut, cardboard weaving, kite-making, fancy lettering, 3D design and printing, and cardboard creations.Students learn the entrepreneurial process through their regular art class. To promote the art of selling, we hold a Spring Maker Faire where students sell their goods and earn profits.”
Belle Heth Principal Tara Grant said Tuesday she is pleased with th program’s recognition by the VSBA.
“We are so excited to be recognized for one of our favorite initiatives, our Friday Clubs,” said Grant. “The school climate is extra enthusiastic on club days. Third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders are mixed together depending on interest, and students benefit from building new relationships.
“Students enjoy seeing their new friends and love learning new skills,” Grant added. “It is an amazing way to promote the positive in our school community. We are makers and are promoting creativity and problem solving by student interest.”
The second program featured is Radford High School’s Spanish Signpost Project
“Our students at Radford High School created an interactive, moveable signpost that highlights six Spanish-speaking cities and their location relative to our high school,” wrote Art Teacher Kimberly Reese. Students from eight subjects (art, geography, machining, woodshop, Spanish, Culinary Arts, video productions, and technology) collaborated on this project.”
“This was a student-led, teacher-guided project,” Reese added. “Once presented with the idea, the students gathered in small groups to brainstorm, and what they ultimately created was amazing. There are interactive videos showing common dishes and cultural information that are accessed by a touchscreen monitor. There is also a cell phone holder with the coordinates of each city so that the signpost can be oriented to the correct position. This project allowed the students to use skills and knowledge in real-world and practical ways, and through collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking they created a project that will be used as an educational tool for many years to come.”
The third program earning a nod from the VSBA was the school system’s TechCon 2018
“Radford High School hosted its first annual technology conference, TechCon 2018, in the fall,” reads a description of the event. “The conference was organized as an academic conference consisting of four sessions with nine presentation offerings each for which students had to pre-register. Presentations were conducted by students from Virginia Tech, Radford University, and New River Community College and by representatives of local businesses, all showcasing technology-related opportunities in southwest Virginia. Sessions included automation (including an autonomous Tesla demonstration), droning, design, motor theory, gaming, additive manufacturing, cybersecurity, biotechnology, robotics, engineering, and video. Radford High invited high school students from throughout southwest Virginia to attend, resulting in a total of 175 attendees. The conference brought awareness of high-tech academic and career opportunities available in our region and supports the work-based learning initiatives of the Virginia Department of Education. At least ten of the VDOE computer science standards were addressed through the presentations. ”
Radford City Schools Superintendent Robert Graham said Tuesday he has his staff to thank.
“The recognition from the VSBA for these outstanding projects is a direct result of the commitment the talented RCPS staff has made to provide innovative and project based learning opportunities to our entire school community,” he said. “These engaging, best practice strategies support the 5 C’s – communication, collaboration, creative thinking, critical thinking and citizenship – of The Profile of a High School Graduate, which are important cognitive, personal, and interpersonal competencies that students should have when they receive their high school diploma.
“We are very proud of the work that both our students and staff have accomplished this year,” Graham added.
