District 6 Launches 'DiscoverU@Home' Program
As the 2019-2020 school year was winding down, our students and staff participating in "DiscoverU@Home" were just getting started! This new and exciting exploration-based learning program offered our students creative, fun experiences that helped to motivate them while they explored multiple areas of interest during the last two weeks of the school year.
District 6 staff volunteered their time to help ensure the success of the DiscoverU@Home courses: Indoor Gardening, Graphic Design, Global Art, Cooking with Class, D6 Story Time, Homework Helpline, Where in the World Scavenger Hunt, DIY, Project Runway, and Coding.
Though these courses were all delivered virtually, students were able to collaborate with their classmates and instructor. Additionally, students and were able to pick-up needed course materials, provided at no cost to the student, from Zion Central Middle School the week before courses began!
"My class, Gardening from the Kitchen, showed a way to use food scraps to regrow foods. While some foods will allow new foods to be regrown such as ginger and sweet potatoes (two foods we used), others will grow plants that can be used as an herb or cooking additive, such as carrot greens (a third plant we used). This method of gardening is a great way to reinforce the sustainable living concept of recycling and reusing our waste instead of simply throwing it away." - Mr. Freer, Gardening Instructor
"During cooking class, students practiced basic kitchen procedures, such as hand washing, washing fruits and vegetables, and handling chicken. Students learned how to make an appetizer, salad, main entree, side dish, and dessert. After participating in a live demonstration, students prepared each recipe and shared their results." - Ms. Kemnitz, Cooking Instructor
"My students were very excited and surprised that they were able to make their own apps and small games! I am proud of all of them. They learned very quickly and impressed me with how quickly they picked up the basics." - Mr. Johnson, Coding Instructor
Some classes, such as gardening, cooking, and coding, met multiple times per week "in-person". Other classes, such as D6 Storytime and Homework Helpline, were available for students daily, and allowed them to participate at their own pace. Regardless of the class, students had a lot of very positive feedback for their instructors.
"My sister Katherine and I loved all the books, thank you all." - Student, D6 Storytime
"I made it (apple cranberry salad) today, it was fun. I liked the Cranberries." - Student, Cooking with Class
We are so glad that this program was a success for our D6 students, staff, and families, and are thankful that it allowed for additional opportunities for growth in our students during such an unprecedented time.