PROVIDENCE, Utah — Our Cool School of the Week is the Center for Creativity, Innovation, and Discovery in Providence, and they're taking the definition of hands-on learning to the next level.
"We believe that children learn by doing, and we prepare students for the real-world experiences through STEM, robotics, hands-on learning, field work, all sorts of cool things," said the school's Executive Director, Melia Balls.
That philosophy is evident in classrooms across campus.
Students are not only learning concepts, but they're also applying them! In one advanced robotics club, students design and build their own robots from scratch.
"They 3D model their robots on Tinkercat and then learn how to 3D print them," said Quinn, the robotics club advisor.
The school also emphasizes individualized support, recognizing that each student brings a unique background and needs.
"Our job is to support the students the best they can," said school social worker Claire.
"With Intermountain's Connect Care, the school-based telehealth program is brought directly to our campus, and it helps keep students in the classroom, and it helps save parents time," said school nurse Jamie.
Students also get involved in something the school calls "fieldwork," where they learn by doing different hands-on experiments at school. In one classroom experiment, students demonstrated how temperature affects water density. They learned firsthand that warm water rises while cold water sinks.
Creativity at the school is just as important as the technical skills.
"Music provides opportunities for kids to come together and create and design things that other classes at school don't give," said one music teacher
The school's innovative approach to learning earned it recognition as our Cool School of the Week and included a donation from Granite Credit Union to support continued learning.
"We're so excited watching how you bring learning to life for these kids," said Granite Credit Union Marketing Director Spencer Carver. "It's such an honor to partner with you."
"We get to tailor our education to what our students need and allow for those unique experiences," said Megan McGrath, who accepted the donation on behalf of the school.
If you know a Cool School, you can email nominations to GoodDayUtah@Fox13Now.com or CLICK HERE to fill out the nomination form.
