School District first in state to have new learning environments
By Tracy Ouellette
SLN Staff
The East Troy School District is the very first in the state to have working SmartLabs. The new learning facilities are up and running at the middle school and Prairie View Elementary School and the public is invited to the grand opening on Wednesday, Oct. 5.
During Monday night’s annual meeting, District Administrator Chris Hibner spoke about the importance changing the way kids learn and promoting creativity, which is something SmartLabs by Creative Learning Systems are designed to do.
He said the children were the future and the education system in the country was, at least, partly at fault for the destruction of creativity kids experience.
“I think the statistics say that 98 percent of kids are highly creative at age 5, but that number drops to something like 10 percent by age 15. We have to acknowledge we are at least contributing to that.”
Hibner said the SmartLabs are one way to encourage creativity and promote personalized learning environments, which the district is committed to.
“Everybody always says ‘We need to think about the future.’ Well, I’ve got news for you; the future is our students. The future is here and it’s literally in our buildings,” Hibner said.
About SmartLabs
According to a press release from the district, students using SmartLabs will be able to explore alternative energy, computer graphics, mechanics and structures, simple machines, scientific data, digital communications, robotics and more. It is an opportunity to not only give students practical, meaningful and personalized opportunities, but also to increase levels of learning engagement that support creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication and content.
See what’s happening
The district is hosting open houses at both Prairie View and the middle school from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 5. The kids will be there to talk about how they’re using the SmartLabs and how they’re learning from the experience.
The schedule is as follows:
- 6 p.m. – Overview of SmartLab at Prairie View;
- 6:20 p.m. – Grade-level STEAM activities led by students;
- 6:40 p.m. – Interactive SmartLab led by students;
- 7:15 p.m. – Overview of middle school SmartLab;
- 7:20 p.m. – Interactive SmartLab led by students;
- 7:40 p.m. – Classroom Connections presentation;
- 8 p.m. – Robotic and 3D printing led by students.
East Troy Middle School is at 3143 Graydon Ave. Prairie View Elementary School is at 2131 Townline Road.
For more information about the SmartLabs, visit the district’s website at www.easttroy.k12.wi.us.
