Gov. Raimondo visits Glen Hills to see challenge projects

By Jen Cowart
Posted 5/3/17

By JEN COWART On Tuesday morning, Gov. Gina Raimondo arrived at Glen Hills Elementary School to visit the two kindergarten classrooms there. In addition to the governor, several representatives from the Rhode Island Department of Education and from

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Gov. Raimondo visits Glen Hills to see challenge projects

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On Tuesday morning, Gov. Gina Raimondo arrived at Glen Hills Elementary School to visit the two kindergarten classrooms there. In addition to the governor, several representatives from the Rhode Island Department of Education and from Cranston Public Schools Central Administration were present as well.

The students in both Maria Santonastoso's and Kelly Walton's classrooms have been working on a kindergarten challenge project which asked them to create something that would make Rhode Island a better place for children.

According to Principal Jay DeCristofaro, the objective of the pilot program, "Focus on K2," a developmental, integrated literacy program from Boston Public Schools (bpsearlychildhood.weebly.com/curriculum-guides.html) was to engage the students in active learning and hands-on participation in an area of interest to them, and to add in the numeracy and literacy skills along the way as the students encountered related vocabulary and problem solving situations.

"This is the type of learning we would like to extend all the way up the grades," DeCristofaro said. "This is the future of learning, it's 21st Century learning. The days of passive learning are gone."

Michele Simpson, Executive Director of Pupil Personnel Services, shared how fortunate the school was to be able to pilot the “Focus on K2” curriculum and how exciting learning has been for the students and for their teachers.

"Through the use of this interdisciplinary literacy approach, students engage in center based learning and small group teacher instruction," she said. "Teachers are trained to use highly effective instructional practices to advance students in their thinking and learning. This has been the most exciting year in kindergarten."

When the governor arrived in Maria Santonastaso's classroom, the students were excitedly waiting to meet her, having compiled a list of questions for her in addition to sharing their project with her.

"I'm excited to hear about what you've been doing, can you tell me all about it?" Governor Raimondo asked the students as she pulled up a chair on the rug where they were sitting "criss-cross-applesauce."

“Thank you for being leaders”

As the students began to share with her the project they had decided upon and worked on collaboratively: a children's park for the state of Rhode Island, they discussed with her the important things they had decided should go into their park.

"We wanted a roller coaster," said Phoebe Moretti.

Other items were quickly added to the list, including a restaurant, a playground with a Ferris wheel, a garden and a love tower with a heart on it.

"This children's park sounds like a great idea," Governor Raimondo said. "What did you have to learn to do this? Did you need to use math or drawings to plan out your park?"

Abigail Frias told the governor that the students had met with and interviewed an engineer and that they had created plans that showed what their structure should look like upon completion, and where everything they wanted to have in their park would be.

Governor Raimondo told the students the theory behind the learning project they had embarked upon.

"We thought, and your teachers thought, that it's much better to work on a project and learn a whole bunch of different things while you're working rather than just sitting in your seat and us telling you things," she said. "That's the way it was when we were kids, we just sat and the teachers just told us things, and it was boring when we went to school so we wanted to make it better for you."

Before heading over to view the students' three-dimensional structure located in the classroom's STEM learning center, she asked them what questions they had for her about her job. "How did you become governor?" asked Olivia Borges.

"How do you think?" Raimondo asked her.

They talked about elections and voting, presidential elections and state elections, and getting enough votes to win an election.

"What inspired you?" asked Logan DiCarlo.

"People like you inspire me," she said. "I wanted to try to make Rhode Island a better place, the schools, the roads, the bike paths and to help bring in more jobs. I grew up in Smithfield, Rhode Island and I really love Rhode Island. I figured if I was governor, I could try to make it a better place."

"What would you do if you were governor?" she asked the class.

"I would make more schools," said Michael Caniglia.

Alkiviadis Triantafyllou asked the governor what she does during the day.

"I help to make laws, I help to make the schools better, sometimes I talk on the radio or on TV, and I go to a lot of meetings," she said.

The students asked her what tools she uses in her job.

"I think my iPhone is my biggest tool," she said. "I talk on the phone, I send emails on it and I read on it every night or on my iPad."

She asked them what sorts of tools they had used in their project.

The students relayed a long list of tools and materials they had sourced in creating their park, including fabric, measuring sticks, glue, paint and paint brushes, and paper towel rolls for their Ferris Wheel, which could actually spin.

As Governor Raimondo visited the STEM learning center to see their structure, she told the students how impressed she was by their project plans, the documentation of the steps they took in their planning and building and all of the learning, which took place as they engineered their structure.

"This is really impressive," she said. "Everywhere I go, I am going to tell everyone about this and how amazing it is. If every kindergarten did this, we would be all set. Thank you for being leaders."

Room to room

From Santonastaso's classroom, she moved just down the hall to visit Walton's classroom of students eager to share their own project with her, which was completely different than the project next door. Their structure had many parts to it as well, including a skyscraper, a bedroom, a restaurant, a library and a waterpark with a swimming pool and according to Walton, the students were able to determine which part interested them the most and work on that portion of the project.

"They strongly felt that all people needed to eat, so they added in the restaurant, and they believe that all people need to read, so they added in the library," Walton said. "There was a lot of literacy that went into this unit. We read a lot of books about construction, how to build a home, and we incorporated many different skills."

According to Lealise Carter, the hardest part of the structure was making the bed for the bedroom, and she showed the governor that they had thought of every detail for the bedroom and the bathroom, which included an elevator, a bed, table, lamp, a cereal bowl and cup on the table, and a seat to sit on at the table.

"Those things are very important," said Governor Raimondo to the students. "You definitely needed the cereal bowl because everyone needs to eat breakfast."

When she asked the students what tools they used in their project, they ticked off items such as glue, scissors, paint, paper, paper towel rolls, cardboard and crayons.

"With this project, you did a lot of the things that engineers do," Raimondo said. "You need to figure things out, figure out your materials and measure them all out."

When one student announced that if one part of the project didn't work well, they would work together to revise it and try it again, Raimondo, along with all of the other adults in the room were collectively impressed.

"Wow," she said. "A round of applause for using a tenth-grade word, revise."

She told the students how impressed she was with their structures and the learning that had taken place as they created them.

"You had a lot of fun doing this, but you learned things while you were doing it, and I'm very impressed by all of it," she said. "I'm going to go to other schools and tell them all what I saw."

"These kids are engaged all day long," said DeCristofaro. "Their parents have been so happy with these projects, that I've been getting emails and messages talking about how great the learning is that has been taking place in these classrooms, and the first-grade teachers can't wait to get these students next year."

Raimondo thanked DeCristofaro for his commitment to and support of the pilot project.

He noted that not only is this the first year that Cranston has had full day kindergarten district-wide, but that both kindergarten teachers are new to his building this school year.

"Your commitment and your support really makes a big difference," she said.

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