Broad Street Elementary aims for creative learning
A big part of Broad Street Elementary’s curriculum is keeping it creative.
The school’s principal, Vanessa Boyd, showed off efforts to engage students in learning at the Butler Area School District Board’s Monday, Jan. 27, engagement meeting at Broad Street. Part of the efforts include creating more opportunities for personal growth, something Boyd is big on.
Boyd told parents and school board members the school’s goal is to inspire hope within education through “creating holistic learning” and “building a sense of possibility.”
“I call it a pleasant seat of sweet learning. That’s Broad Street Elementary, where we are all responsible for our joy,” Boyd said.
Multiple programs are involved in student engagement.
One of them is the “BSES Quarterly News,” a newsletter that teachers currently write short articles in on subjects like science and math classes. Eventually, students will be able to write about their classes too.
Another is Boyd’s desire to expand the after-school sports program. She envisions bringing in members of the high school football team to teach students how to play the sport.
Boyd said a big part of expanding students’ mindset is not wanting “bored learners.” Looking at data, attendance, and other information to figure out what the students need, Boyd is looking at academic pieces, as well as social, emotional and creative pieces that play a role.
“It should always be fun learning. ‘Oh, everybody in a straight row, OK, listen to me while I lecture,’ we want to try and get away from that,” Boyd said.
