Six weeks into the school year and it has been a complete whirlwind. Between beautification projects, presenting professional development, screaming the new magnet theme, meeting with grade levels, working with partnerships, coaching/training for Summer STEM, curriculum development, and best of all…
The Hive!
I knew last year that a Makerspace was a must for our school, students, staff, and entrepreneurial design theme. After writing about $10,000 worth of grants for the school, the space was filled with all the students need to make their ideas come to life. The one thing that was missing was a name. We tossed around Think Tank, Creation Station, Innovation Station, Idea Box, The Start-up, and so many more. The problem with all of those, it contained the creativity to that one room.
Thinking back to my internship, it hit me. The Hive. Simple. Straight forward. And full of meaning. A Hive is a busy and sometimes a bit noisy place with organized chaos. All CONNtrapreneurs have a job when they come into the hive and an opportunity to make something truly impressive. They will come to The Hive and bring their great ideas and understanding of the content they have learned in class, design and make it! Then they will go back out into the school community, and sometimes beyond, to share what they have learned. As I explain to the students, we come to the space and buzz buzz buzz to create and innovate, they all have a role to do, and will need to collaborate for their prototype design. Then they will go out to their classroom, their Focus Areas, and into the community to share all that they have learned. When they return to The Hive, they will have new knowledge and experiences to help their team on the next challenge.
As many classes have rotated through The Hive, the response has been nothing but positivity. Students, teachers, and even parents are buzzing about this opportunity and the depth of learning that is taking place. We hope that this enhances the already creative culture of Conn.
Next step: get an actual bee hive on campus, what an amazing learning opportunity for our students.