Who ever said the cheese wagon wasn't cool..

...obviously didn't ride this bus!

Today is Education Day. We'll be heading out to local schools and checking out all the neat programs they are offering to the great families and children of our county. Were starting out with Chesnut Elementary School of Science and Engineering. Can you imagine a 5 year old doing robotics and hydroponics?! Our next fearless leader, Dana Schafer, below, has planned a great day along with School Board Member Barbara Horn, who happens to be in our class! :)

So we head out to Chesnut Elementary, a STEM school which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. These are the primary focus of the school's curriculum, along with the normal guidelines, FCAT and they have a lot of fun doing it!

We walk into the school and there are students there to show us their projects, what appeared to be mostly rides or rollercoasters, built completely out of recycled materials; toothpicks, cardboard, glass, plastics, popcicle sticks etc.

After that was breakfast! SO GOOD! Andddd they had fruit and Fat Free Creamer! Lots of points in my book (and by that I mean not a lot of points on WW ha!). The principal and assistant principal, Karen Bracy and Trenisha Simmons show up in bright white coats, like scientists and they are ready to tell us all about this school that I never even knew existed. They shared videos with us like when they were featured on WOFL Fox 35's Cool School of the Week! I don't have to see the other schools to know that this school is top notch. We got to see all kinds of science and engineering specialties like fossils, bridge building and trial and error with catapults. They also do their own morning announcements. I do not remember ours looking this cool. I had a huge tube TV with a lifesize sheet of paper where the script was pre written and you filled in the blanks...these kids have it all! :)

 So I ask this 1st grader.. "What are you building?" he answers "I'm building a beam bridge. There really aren't any in Florida, most in the western US." I was like...what?! I was worried about coloring in the lines in 1st grade...good for them! :)

Each class spends 50 minutes per day in one of the 4 subjects (STEM) for a 9 week period, then switches. One class we went to was traveling cross country on the map below and had to calculate all they would need to get to where they are going; gas, food, hotel etc.

One of my very favorite parts of this school is the garden they have! There were onions, peppers, cabbage...and they also had hydroponic gardens!

 

Up next we headed to Poinciana High School. Now, not to be bias, but I went to OHS and we always beat Poinciana in...well...everything. But we show up and walk into their new auditorium. Holy. Cow. The principal, Ms Pinkston, greets us and starts telling us all they have accomplished, including going from an F to a B school! That is incredible. She was so passionate, even teared up just talking about the school. Now if only all teachers could be that way...

After that, we split up and got to see the CFE Branch that they have at the school. It is run by students and their customers are students and teachers and administrative and...ME! I love my bank, Central Florida Educators, so when they asked me to demonstrate, I was happy to oblige. The students have to interview and qualify for the position, and they do not have access to all the information, but customers can apply for a credit card, deposit checks and withdraw lunch money.

After that, we headed upstairs to spend some of that money on our lunch. The school's culinary program did a FABULOUS job and we left there everything but hungry. They waited on us hand and foot while the instructor introduced us to a PHS alumni who went on to become a real chef. SO COOL! Check out the menu they prepared for us.

So now that we're all pretty much walking zombies, we head over to New Beginnings, what most would recognize as the old Sports Authority...or not, but it is I promise.

So we walk up and guess who I find, Mrs. Norma Evans O'Connor. You see, this woman and I go wayyyy back. Actually, someone in the class asked me if I went to school here and that is how I knew her...nah. She was at OHS while I was in school there and was our class sponsor. Super huge mentor to me and probably a good reason why I grew some tough skin in school...not a lot, but some.. :) Below she is rejecting the microphone because we both knew she didn't need it! :) These kids are lucky to have her.

 

 So New Beginnings is a form of alternative school where a student does something that causes them to go before the School Board and state their case. It was really great insight or me personally because while some of them think that the reason they are at New Beginnings is not just, they are happy to be there because they weren't able to learn and focus at the schools they were in. There are some rules like everyone in the cafeteria has to face one way, they have uniforms, and driving to school is a privilege. The students that we met were now heading to college and credit New Beginnings for a good part of their success. So happy for them! 

Up next, we headed to the United Center for Cerebral Palsy. We watched a film on the cause and met the director and another employee who had children with disabilities. A myth I learned is that the UCP doesn't just touch CP children, but many disabilities. We got to go out and play with them for a little bit and at first they looked at us like we were aliens, but it didn't take long for the fun to set in and Tim and I were being chased by them! Definitely a great way to work off that huge lunch we had! :)

 They had a chair just for Bud! :)

We ended the day at Valencia where we learned about the Education Foundation. I actually got a scholarship from them in high school when I went to UF. Super helpful! We also touched on Valencia's partnership with UCF and their Bachelor programs. We did Valencia trivia and actually I knew a lot of the answers just by working on their brand a few years ago. Crazy!

Below are some of my classmates' takes on the jam packed super informative day! Thanks again to all involved!

Kelly

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 Sandra Ramirez - PIO, City of St. Cloud

Education Day was the Best Day Ever! Mind you, I have said the same thing every single Leadership Day. Each day has been inspiring and has made me even more proud to be a part of this wonderful community.

During Education Day, we met so many fantastic people who are so dedicated to the children and youth of Osceola County. Chestnut Elementary School’s curriculum is the best I’ve ever seen. I truly wished I were a child again just so that I could be a student there. This school will no doubt help provide a quality career-related future for the lucky students who are enrolled here. These students provide so much hope for the future – I can just imagine them reaching for the stars in the form of exciting and important academic and career paths. The professional, dedicated, and happy staff here help the students learn about so many essential subject matters and the different opportunities that are available to them as they grow. This is so important in the development of a child!

The academic growth of Poinciana High School students is simply  amazing. This school is now a high-performing school. The huge improvement from an F to a B school is due to the FCAT results, which are a product of the school’s leadership, staff, and students. What a great feeling it is to know that these students now have the motivation to meet their potential! Just after a few minutes after meeting her, I knew that this school’s “Chief Eagle” is a very dedicated principal who truly cares for her students - BRAVO for Ms. Pinkston!

The visits to New Beginnings and UCP were remarkable. So much hope and positive energy! The staff is so dedicated and the students seemed to be so comfortable/happy being there. It really takes a special person to work in these challenging areas. And last but not least, the Education Foundation and VCC briefings were great as well. So many great programs are available and now we’ll be able to help get the word out. Thanks to Dana and Kim for coordinating this great day and “hanging out” with us all day to ensure everything went smoothly!

Marixa Salgado - UCF Masters in Social Work Program
I was blown away by the STEM program.  My first thought was, "Why aren't all children being taught like this?"

My very next thought was that a program like this would definitely help children that are diagnosed ADD, ADHD, Autistic (and all others in that category) - these children all learn best by hands on experiences, they are usually so smart they can't sit still through a normal lecture and they daydream for the better part of their days.  This type of instruction would peak their interest and would probably be more successful with testing as they would get a better understanding of what they are doing.

I was impressed by the technology that these children are learning.  I think it is wonderful because those children that come from lower income families, or homeless families do not have computers at home and can potentially fall behind when their peers have all of this at their fingertips.  STEM gives them all equal opportunity for learning - it is amazing!

Then we went to Poinciana High School.  What can I say other than the commitment the faculty and staff have towards the students is paid back by the students taking an interest and investing in their own learning.  I spent time in their "wood shop" (not sure what the official name is) -- those children were building tables, sheds, chairs - they were proud of their accomplishments and eager to complete them.

All I can say is that I am taken aback at what an unbelievable job these schools and educators are doing with our children to have them believe in themselves.

WOW!