ECA Review - 2022-01-13

ECA REVIEW HANNA/CORONATION/STETTLER, AB January 13'22 5
Innovation Academy: Learning for tomorrow... today
by Kelly Lewis, Vice Principal
J.C.Charyk Hanna School
J.C.Charyk Hanna School (JCCHS)
is taking a different approach to the
schools of excellence concept.
Instead of selecting a singular focus,
students are being encouraged to make
their learning relevant, develop their
entrepreneurial spirit and explore cutting
edge technologies.
A wide variety of equipment has
been acquired to help the students
explore technologies that will play a
role in their futures, as well as foster
curiosity and entrepreneurial spirit as
they look towards their futures.
The equipment ranges from a computer
numerical controlled plasma
cutter in the shop to a laser cutter,
robots, industry standard 3D printer,
drones and a John Deere tractor with a
complete auto-steer unit.
The humanities programs are now
accessing new green screens and
desktop publishing equipment to represent
learning in new ways.
Our foods program has acquired
new cooking technologies such as sous
vide units, air fryers and InstaPots to
introduce 21st century home cooking
practices.
Although we don’t have a meat cutting
program, students showed
interest in value added agriculture in
the way of meat processing. To that
end, a grinder, sausage stuffer, smoker,
dehydrator have all been acquired and
already put to use.
A trial batch of sausage was made by
a group of students, but the biggest
sausage project was driven by a junior
high math class. There is a lot of calculation
involved when correlating a
recipe to product and the meat, spices,
water and casings needed to make a
batch of sausage.
The science department has been
augmented with such equipment as a
PCR cycler and gel electrophoresis
unit to explore DNA replication.
This equipment, along with physics
and environmental monitoring equipment
is going to introduce our students
to university level practices and the
opportunity to make their learning
relevant.
Perhaps the biggest and most visible
acquisition to our school has been virtual
reality equipment.
A number of classes have been using
the VR headsets since September to
practice their French in Paris, learn to
box, travel to the pyramids and around
the world, and have many other
experiences.
VR is opening so many doors when it
comes to connecting to learning in a
new and impactful way.
New programs are always being
added and students are definitely
seeing their learning from a new
perspective.
Our elementary students aren’t
being left out of the technology
opportunities.
A robotics program has been developed
using Terrapin Coding Robots
which has seen students from Grade 2
to 6 learn about coding and putting
their knowledge to work.
Coding is one of the most impactful
new subjects students can learn to help
them in our technological world and
we want to give them a great start.
There are two overarching programs
which are driving a lot of the
learning at JCC.
The Leader in Me program has been
delivered to our K-6 staff and it is
becoming part of every classroom.
This ties into the innovation concept
through building student capacity in
decision making and the value of
becoming a good citizen and community
member.
The program is going to go a long
way towards building empathy and
community in our school.
Project Based Learning is the
approach being taken from Grades 7-12
to introduce new technologies into relevant
student learning.
Students and staff will be introduced
to the new equipment and technologies
and encouraged to use them to demonstrate
their learning and make
learning relevant.
Students in Grades 7 to 9 participated
in a Skills Alberta Skills
Exploration Day on Dec. 1. Teams of
students took part in a design challenge
and produced a prototype design
to meet the challenge.
Over the course of preparing for the
challenge, students explored the new
technologies while testing their creativity,
teamwork and planning to
build the end product. It was a great
opportunity for students to make use
of new technologies while exploring
trades and skills at the same time.
The Prairie Land board of trustees
has seen the value of the Innovation
Academy and invested hundreds of
thousands of dollars in equipment and
professional support to make the program
work.
Innovation is key to building a sustainable
community and for our
students to find their way in a rapidly
evolving future world.
At JCCHS, we want to give our students
every opportunity to incorporate
their interests and passions with cutting
edge technologies and personally
relevant learning opportunities and
the Innovation Academy is going to
make it happen.
About three quarters of Bashaw Fire Department members were in attendance for some
training on ice water rescue at the Bashaw Trout Pond in town on Sat. Jan. 8. Members
learned how to walk someone through the process of self rescue, reach, throw, go and
tow by an instructor. In the water was member Dennis Jones, certified in ice water rescue,
who volunteered to be the ‘victim’. He was attached to a safety rope which was held to a
stationary object on the ground and maintained by a safety person. The department is
working towards grants to purchase four ice water rescue suits in case they are needed
upon mutual aid calls such as responding to a Buffalo Lake instance or in-town responses.
ECA Review/Bashaw Fire Department
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