Kid Pan Alley returns to its roots
During a special Thursday assembly at Rappahannock County Elementary School, students enjoyed an exciting concert featuring songs by RCES third grade classes and Kid Pan Alley songwriters Paul Reisler and Cheryl Toth. Since the creation of Kid Pan Alley, which debuted at RCES in 1999, the program has assisted thousands of students throughout the country in creating, performing and recording their own songs.
Rappahannock County Elementary School recently unveiled its newest, innovative classroom, the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) lab. While many schools have programs that focus on this area, Rapp has dedicated an entire classroom for this subject. Students from every grade level (PreK-7th) visit the lab on a rotating, six day exploratory schedule.
The lab started as a concept nearly a year ago by Dr. Robin Bolt, RCPS Executive Director of Administrative Services. Bolt, who oversees both the school facility and technology departments, had a vision to create a fun lab where the students could explore each of the five STEAM topics through problem solving and experimental play. Housed in the former computer lab at the front of the elementary school lobby, the computer lab itself was an innovative concept back in the early 1990s when then Superintendent Dr. Gangel created a lab for students to learn about computers. Fast forward to present day, the school now has a 1:1 ratio of one computer for every student.
According to Bolt, “our computer lab was underutilized since all teachers and students have computers in their classrooms. Since we had the space, it was a great opportunity to create this cutting-edge lab. Mr. Temple (RCES Principal) had the idea of putting in a doorway to the courtyard, which was then set to be renovated by RappFLOW, to expand the learning opportunities outdoors.” Bolt continued, “I’m very pleased with how it turned out. It’s exactly how I envisioned it would be.”
With new tile and fresh paint, the room is vibrantly decorated with colorful paper lanterns that hang from the ceiling. The new door to the courtyard allows lots of natural lighting into the lab. New dry erase tables are arranged for small group projects, but can easily be moved around to accommodate different types of learning centers. Much of the décor was designed by Bolt in collaboration with the STEAM Lab Coordinator, Bethany Bostic.
Bostic, a former math and science teacher, was excited for the opportunity to head up the STEAM curriculum. According to Bostic, “The STEAM lab is a place where children come during their exploratory rotation to learn about science, technology, engineering, art, and math in fun and engaging ways. We are fortunate to have not only a great lab filled with amazing resources, but also an outdoor classroom where students can grow plants, observe nature, and conduct experiments.”
From coding mouse robots to designing a floating life preserver
for a small plastic baby, the students are able to learn through fun, hands-on experiments. In addition, they learn problem-solving skills and team-building skills such as communication and collaboration through small group challenges.
Bostic is thrilled with the student’s reaction to the new lab. “As one sixth grader put it ‘it’s all of my favorite things in one class.’ So far the students seem to really be enjoying STEAM.”