Southwest Messenger - August 11th, 2019

www.columbusmessenger.com
August 11, 2019 -SOUTHWEST MESSENGER - PAGE 9
Back - to - School
Kick-off to
Kindergarten
Messenger photos by Dedra Cordle
With the start of the new school year
approaching, officials with the South-
Western City Schools District welcomed
incoming kindergarteners to
Harmon Elementary for the third annual
Kindergarten Kick-Off. According to
Melvina Tobert, the district’s coordinator
of state and federal programs, the
mission of kick-off is to help the new
students familiarize themselves with
the layout of the elementary schools,
learn lunch line protocols, and get a
glimpse of what they will be learning in
the classroom. Here, incoming Richard
Avenue student Anaquinn Underwood
shows off the books she picked out during
a trip to the school library.
Kindergarteners who participated in the
kick-off were allowed to choose
between five to ten new books to read.
Festival at Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Our Lady of Perpetual Help will host a community festival
from 6 p.m. to midnight Aug. 16-17 at 3730 Broadway. For more
information, visit www.ourladyofperpetualhelp.net.
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Future educators travel to
learn from top educators
During summer break, Dr. Valerie Jones, Teacher Education Chair and
Dr. Jeanne Bruce, Associate Professor, traveled with five pre-service educators
to Helsinki, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden to study the top-two
school systems in the world. The group was able to tour a Finnish grade
school to observe their curriculum and instruction and speak with students
and teachers. In Sweden, they visited a university and learned about
Swedish high schools and transitioning to higher education.
The pre-service educators were significantly impacted by what they saw
and learned. Makayla Harr (’20), Adolescence to Young Adult Math
Education major, remarked, “I loved that the schools not only promoted academic
success but encouraged creativity and prioritized life skills and the
arts as much as academics. Their education system focuses well on the individual.
Their students had choices in electives starting at a young age, and
some were accelerated in their strongest subjects, and I loved that.”
Dr. Jones added, “This learning experience was the first of many for our
department. We learned much and plan to spread what we’ve learned to
other educators through conference presentations and workshops.” Next
spring, students will be able to have another learning experience in England,
Ireland, and Scotland.